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Football London
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Phil Spencer

'The boys are back!' - Arsenal fans elated as Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin return for u23s

Arsenal's under-23s take on Wolverhampton Wanderers this evening, but this isn't any old development game.

The clash in the midlands will see two of the Gunners' top defenders make their long-awaited returns from injuries.

Hector Bellerin has been out of action since last season when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, leading to months of intense rehabilitation.

It will also be the first opportunity to see new signing Kieran Tierney in the red and white of Arsenal.

The full-back arrived from Celtic over the summer but is yet to make an appearance for the Gunners after undergoing surgery for an injury picked up in Glasgow.

Both players are named in the starting line-up, but it would be surprising if they were deemed fit enough to play the full 90 minutes.

The news of their return will be a massive boost to Unai Emery's Arsenal squad.

The Gunners have looked a little bit suspect in defence so far this season with numerous errors from the likes of Bernd Leno, David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos leading them to give away sloppy goals and points.

With Rob Holding returning from injury midweek against Eintracht Frankfurt, and Tierney and Bellerin both returning tonight, the hope will be that that Arsenal will be able to freshen up the defence in the coming weeks.

As you'd expect, supporters were elated on social media to see the pair return for the under-23s.

Here's the best of the reaction.

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