Kieran Tierney opens up about his debut for Arsenal in the Premier League and the shoulder injury he got that derailed his debut.
Arsenal bought The Scotland international from Celtic and the talented left-back cost the Gunners €27m.
The former Celtic defender has already been injured when he arrived in north London, but soon after that he got back to full fitness and established himself in the first team and made his debut for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest in September.
That was the first of total of 11 appearances he made for the Gunners in this campaign. His 11th appearance was against West Ham at the London Stadium, when he was forced to leave the pitch after dislocating his shoulder in 29th minute.
However, the serious shoulder dislocation halted his progress and sidelined him just when the 22-year-old defender was starting to look like he is the real deal.
Tierney opened up on the extent of the injury when he spoke with Sport Bible: "Mentally it was probably the toughest time of my life. In my head I was thinking, 'I need an operation now.' I knew," said Tierney.
The Gunners full-back says he dislocated his shoulder "three times in just 10 minutes" during the game.
"Three times in ten minutes, nobody’s shoulder should be going like that.
"So in my head when I was lying down I was thinking, 'That’s me out for another few months'.
"I knew that devastation straight away and I think you can see it on my face."
Tierney is now back to his full fitness and he hopes that when football returns Mikel Arteta will give him a chance to play for the first time since he came in charge.
"I know the way the team play, how they want to play and how the manager wants to do his things," added the Scotland international.
"Everybody loves going out and playing football but to be mentally tough and to deal with all these obstacles and hurdles that people throw at you, it’s the hardest part but when you get to the other side it’s the most rewarding part."
