Kieran Tierney casts doubt on Arsenal return but William Saliba situation provides hope

Kieran Tierney has no idea what his future at Arsenal holds after being loaned to Real Sociedad.

The 26-year-old quickly became a fan favorite at the Emirates following his £25million arrival from Celtic in 2019.

But the left-back lost his place in the starting XI to Oleksandr Zinchenko last season due to his inability to play Mikel Arteta’s inverted role.

Takehiro Tomiyasu was also preferred to the Scot at times, and with Jakub Kiwior and Jurrien Timber also recruited, the decision was made to send Tierney to Spain.

And it remains to be seen whether Tierney, who still has two years remaining on his contract in north London, will be brought back into the squad this summer.

Even the defender is in the dark, as he insisted William Saliba is the only player who has been loaned out by Arteta to return as a starter.

Speaking to talkSPORT host Jim White about whether the door will be reopened for him at Arsenal, Tierney said: “You never know in football.

“It’s probably quite rare for that to happen when you come back from a loan.

“Of course you have circumstances like Saliba when they come back and I don’t think he’s left the team since – he hasn’t been on the bench since.

“But maybe it’s a little different for someone who’s already played four years and is coming back (to the team).

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“But you never really know, football is a crazy place, so let’s see what happens.”

Tierney also believes his departure was the right decision for both himself and the club in their bid to regain form after falling down the pecking order.

Last campaign he was limited to just six Premier League starts, compared to 22 the previous season in an injury-plagued season.

Asked what led to his loan move, he said: “It’s hard to put your finger on it.

“But just the way things had developed at Arsenal, the way the team was going and what happened last season with playing time.

“It probably worked out better for both parties than going out, having a new experience, getting some playing time.

“And when you don’t play, you lose a little bit of confidence, so to come here and get that back has been great.”

Listen to Kieran Tierney’s full interview on talkSPORT’s White & Jordan show at 10am Wednesday!