Arsenal face defensive headache as Kieran Tierney out for three months with dislocated shoulder injury
ARSENAL have confirmed Kieran Tierney needs surgery on his dislocated shoulder and will be out for three months.
The Scot, 22, lasted just under 30 minutes against West Ham after he fell awkwardly and left the field with his right arm in a makeshift sling.
And Tierney – who has a history of shoudler problems – has now handed Freddie Ljungberg a defensive crisis.
Arsenal beat West Ham to end a dreadful run of form but their win came at a cost with Hector Bellerin pulling out in the warm-up.
The Spaniard will sit out of the clash with Manchester City due to a hamstring injury and Rob Holding also absent due to a bruised knee.
Both will be back before Tierney, who went under the knife to fix an ongoing issue with his shoulder while at Celtic in 2017.
Today’s game has been pulled from Chinese TV after Mesut Ozil called on Muslims to condemn China’s treatment of the minority Uighur population.
The club distanced themselves from the German‘s social media blast but it was not enough to appease the strict government.
Arsenal fans have voiced their displeasure at the players this season with Granit Xhaka at the centre of a booing row.
And ahead of the Citizens’ visit to the Emirates today, Ljungberg has prepared his players for a potentially hostile atmosphere.
He explained: “It’s the right of the fans to be this way.
“Of course, I want them to be with us and I know how much it means to the players and I can see sometimes they can go a little bit down.
“But that’s something I will talk to them about. They already know about it but I will try to prepare them for if and when [it] happens.
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“But I think when we play City at home, the fans know it will be a very tough game and will be with us regardless.
“I want to make sure I respect the decisions and voice of the fans. In my opinion they are the club – and we try to do the best we can for them.
“We try to respect them and make them know we are doing this. I hope they have seen that in the last fortnight.”