Mikel Arteta has revealed Kieran Tierney will miss his side's clash with Aston Villa with a different injury to the one that has ruled him out in recent weeks.
The Arsenal star hasn't played since the 3-0 win over Newcastle on January 18 due to a calf complaint but now the Spaniard concedes it's a fresh knock that is keeping him on the sidelines.
Tierney has become a key man for the Gunners with his rampaging displays from left-back a key component in an upturn in form since December.
The 23-year-old Scotland international has blossomed in the English Premier League after recovering from a long-standing hip injury which plagued him towards the end of his Celtic career.
And Arteta admits he is doing all he can to get the £25m Scotland star fit and firing as soon as possible.
He said: "It’s a different injury in this case. Kieran is a player that really pushes himself and he has to be able to perform physically at his best because he cannot help himself. Even in training he can’t help himself.
“We are trying to manage him in the best possible way and find every possibility to give him the best chance to be fit as soon as possible, and we are here to support him as much as we can.”
Arteta admits his hopes of finding a left-footed player to back-up Tierney was unsuccessful with the Gunners strongly linked with Patrick van Aanholt before the window closed on Monday night.
Cedric Soares has been deputising for the Scot during his absence in recent weeks.
The Arsenal manager added: "We cannot do everything,
“As I mentioned before, there are so many things that we had to do in this transfer window and we had to focus on the priorities for that.
“We almost did everything we wanted to do and there are things to do, but when you talk about the squad evolution, it’s going to take time and a big effort. Things have to happen your way as well and that’s not the case all the time.”
