No Arsenal return dates set for Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney, says Unai Emery

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James Olley13 September 2019

Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney are progressing well from injury but no return date has been set for either player, according to Arsenal head coach Unai Emery.

Bellerin has been sidelined for almost nine months following knee ligament damage while Tierney is yet to feature for the Gunners having arrived from Celtic with knee and groin problems in addition to undergoing a hernia operation.

Both players are back in training but Emery was on Friday cautious about a timescale for either player’s comeback.

“[Their return] depends on their progress for the next weeks and maybe also we can decide to play at the beginning with the under-23s before, to be ready with us,” he said.

“Maybe if they play with the under-23s they can take confidence and better their rhythm and then after play with us 100 per cent.

“They are now closer to us but they need to continue working and taking training with us for their fitness. They can feel very comfortable coming back to play with us, Kieran Tierney starting and Hector Bellerin coming back after his injury.”

Emery confirmed Nicolas Pepe is available despite withdrawing from the Ivory Coast squad due to fitness issues while Rob Holding is nearing a return to first-team football as he builds up his sharpness following knee surgery.

“Rob Holding is in the same situation like Hector and Kieran Tierney, but he earned time and matches with the under-23s and we are going to decide if he can play with the under-23s, because the next week we are going to start in the Europa League, and after we are going to play the Carabao Cup,” said Emery.

“With more minutes with the under-23s, he can be closer to give [the first team] his performance.”

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