ARSENAL have responded to the news that Kieran Tierney would be forced to isolate for two weeks after he and Ryan Christie were marked as close contacts to former Celtic teammate Stuart Armstrong. The Southampton midfielder tested positive, meaning that Christie and Tierney will miss key international games as well as huge domestic fixtures.
In a statement released tonight on arsenal.com, the Emirates club confirmed that they would be discussing the decision for Tierney by NHS Lothian Test and Protect to order the left-back to isolate for two weeks.
Tierney spoke out about his frustrations at being told he would need to stay at home for two weeks, claiming that he followed all guidelines.
“I’m so disappointed and frustrated to be in this situation. I have adhered to all regulations and made sure I was socially distancing from my team mates in the hotel. I’ve also tested negative. I know Arsenal and the SFA are now in discussions with the Scottish authorities to gain a further understanding.”
Celtic will no doubt be watching and waiting on results of this meeting as they will want to have Ryan Christie available for the visit of Rangers on October 17. If the correct procedures were taking place then the players should not have been in close contact.
Should Tierney be discharged from test and protect after returning another negative test then Celtic would feel aggrieved if Christie is not. The testing procedure requires players to sit out even if they test negative – such as Alex Gogic at Hibs.
The likelihood is that Christie will be out of the game against Rangers, resulting in a Tom Rogic size gap opening up in the starting XI.
