Kieran Tierney set to miss rest of the season with knee injury

Arsenal have confirmed that Kieran Tierney needs to undergo knee surgery which will likely rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Tierney is also a huge doubt for Scotland's crunch World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine in June, with the winner set to battle Wales for a place in Qatar.

The 24-year-old was left out of Mikel Arteta's squad for the trip to Crystal Palace on Monday night and the Scot's absence clearly affected the Gunners. Palace ran out worthy 3-0 winners, with stand-in left-back Nuno Tavares dragged off at the break after enduring a nightmarish first half.

Quizzed on Tierney's absence after the match, Arteta admitted that he was not hopeful about the Scot returning any time soon, saying: "He’s seeing a specialist tomorrow and we will know more the extent of the injury. The feeling that he had wasn’t positive and what the scans showed weren't either. But we have to wait and see what happens."

The Gunners have since confirmed Tierney needs to go under the knife, with a procedure in London booked over the coming days.

"Kieran felt discomfort after a training session on Thursday, March 31," a statement read on Arsenal's official website. "Further assessments and scans have confirmed that Kieran has damaged his left knee.

"A specialist consultation took place on Tuesday, and as a result of further discussions with Kieran and our medical team, it has been decided that Kieran requires surgery to his knee. This procedure will take place in London in the forthcoming days.

"Kieran’s rehabilitation programme will start immediately after his surgery, at which stage a clearer understanding will be established on his recovery timescale. However, it is likely that Kieran will now miss the remainder of this season.

"Everyone at the club will now be supporting and working hard with Kieran to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible."

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