Former star Paul Merson believes his old side’s top four hopes have taken a massive hit with Kieran Tierney out for the rest of the season.
Left-back Tierney missed Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to on Monday night after returning from international duty with Scotland complaining of pain in his right knee.
Following examinations, it has been revealed that the 24-year-old will need an operation which will see him miss the remaining matches of his team’s league campaign.
Merson – who played in north for 12 years – believes boss Mikel Arteta will find it hard to replace Tierney’s qualities as they look to secure a spot for the first time in six years.
Speaking on , he said: ‘Kieran Tierney is going to be a big miss for , after his knee injury before the Palace game. He’s one of the players you can’t afford to take out of this Arsenal team. He’s solid, he’s an 8/10 every week, he sets an example.
‘He’s a winner – you know what you’re going to get with him, and he was a big miss on Monday night.’
Nuno Tavares deputised for Tierney at Selhurst Park but suffered a nightmarish first-half as he played a part in Palace’s first two goals and was subsequently replaced by Arteta at half-time.
Merson, however, has sympathy for the heavily criticised Tavares and thinks it is hard to expect the young Portuguese to be up to speed when he hasn’t had a run of games this season.
‘ had one of them games at left-back, but it’s hard when you’re out of the team for so long,’ Merson said. ‘You’re not really playing football – you’re just training. Even playing in the U23s, it’s not the Premier League.
‘To come in and say: ‘Right, play in this game’ – you feel for these players. No matter how much you train, it’s not the same as playing.’
The absence of Tierney, who has played in 22 of Arsenal’s 29 Premier League matches this season, will be a huge blow to Arteta’s men in their top four chase.
The Gunners currently sit fifth in the league, level on points with fourth placed Tottenham but with a game in hand.
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