Scotland boss Steve Clarke has revealed that Arsenal requested that Kieran Tierney not be selected for next week's international fixtures, confirming he has not suffered an injury setback.
News of Tierney 's absence for the Scotland squad that is set to face Russia and San Marino in the European Championship qualifiers ignited fear that the 22-year-old was set for a longer absence than initially anticipated.
However, football.london understands that Tierney is available for selection ahead of Arsenal 's Europa League clash with Standard Liege on Thursday, having missed the 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Clarke's comments suggest that is certainly the case, as he revealed that Tierney's absence from the Scotland squad was due to a request from the North London club, which the national side respected.
“We were close to selecting Kieran. Obviously, Arsenal have indicated to us that they’d prefer us not to select him at this moment in time because he’s only played 70-odd minutes of football,” he said.
“You have to respect the club’s decision on that. I’d like to get Kieran in the squad and have him as part of the group but at this moment in time it’s more important that he gets minutes on the pitch, gets himself back to full speed and, when that happens, I’m sure he’ll be a valuable member of the squad.”
Tierney missed out on the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, when many had expected him to be handed his Premier League debut.
