The latest on Kieran Tierney's calf injury
By Tom Gott
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney is expected to be in contention for Monday's meeting with Newcastle United after scans suggested his calf injury is not as serious as first feared.
The Scot missed Thursday's 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace after picking up the injury in the build-up to the game, after which manager Mikel Arteta admitted Tierney needed to go for an MRI scan to determine the severity of the issue.
That prompted fears that Tierney may have torn his calf muscle - something which would have kept him sidelined for a significant period - but The Athletic's David Ornstein has revealed that initial scans have been reassuring.
There's no indication of the exact type of injury Tierney has suffered, but it's thought that the 23-year-old might even be back in action on Monday, when Newcastle will visit the Emirates Stadium.
Even if Tierney doesn't make it back in time, the fact that he will likely be back in the near future will come as a huge boost to Arteta, who has seen the pressure lifted off his shoulders with some good results in recent weeks.
Tierney has been one of Arsenal's stand-out performers during their resurgence, and it's no coincidence that the Gunners' four-game winning streak came to an end with him out the team against Palace.
With Sead Kolasinac shipped out to Schalke on loan, Arteta was forced to turn to versatile winger Ainsley Maitland-Niles for the Palace game, but it now seems as though Tierney could reclaim his space soon enough.
However, one player who is set for a spell on the sidelines is centre-back Pablo Mari, who picked up his own calf injury in training and also missed the Palace game.
Mari was replaced in the starting lineup by David Luiz, but Arteta has now also welcomed Gabriel Magalhaes back to training after the Brazilian overcame COVID-19.