04 April 2023 , 08:31
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Andy Cole has urged Manchester City to sign Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney, who is highly thought of by legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Tierney, 25, has started just four Premier League games for the Gunners this season after losing his place to summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Scotland international is now being linked with a move away from the Emirates, but it's unclear where his future lies.
City need a new left-back after allowing Joao Cancelo to join Bayern Munich on loan in January. Centre-back Nathan Ake has spent much of this season covering that role, while Sergio Gomez - the only recognised left-back in the squad - has struggled to impress.
As such, Cole has urged City boss Pep Guardiola to consider signing Tierney. Cole told King Casino Bonus, "I like Kieran Tierney, he's had a few problems with injuries but he is talented. If Arsenal are prepared to sell him, he would not be struggling for options.
"If Manchester City are in for him, I could see that working, but he'd be competing with Ben Chilwell who is linked to Manchester City too. Tierney will want to play, and if he doesn't continue to get any game time, he'll be looking to go somewhere else in the summer.
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"If you look at Tierney's situation previously, you have to ask what did he actually do wrong? He's never let Arsenal or Mikel Arteta down, of course he's had a few injuries but he's always played well. He's a kid with a brilliant attitude.
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"If he sees a chance to get more game time I'm sure he'll put his head down and work for it, but I would not be surprised if he took the option to move on and play more."
Arsenal signed Tierney in a £25million deal from Celtic in the summer of 2019. He became an instant fan favourite - winning the FA Cup during his first season at the Emirates - but injuries restricted his progress during his first three years in London.
That persuaded Arsenal to sign Zinchenko from City last summer. The Ukraine international's superb form for the Gunners has led to Tierney playing second fiddle, although the Scot has still made 29 appearances in all competitions this season.
Tierney will be keen to play more often next season. The defender hasn't put a foot wrong since joining Arsenal, with the likes of Ferguson singing his praises. The iconic manager highlighted Tierney's talent when asked about Scotland's strengths two years ago.
Ferguson said, "I do think Scotland have some very good midfield players, and I’m not sure how they’re gonna play [Andy] Robertson and Tierney in the same team.
"I know there were some situations where they played Tierney as the third centre-back, but the form of Tierney since he’s gone to Arsenal has been phenomenal."