Arsenal inform Kieran Tierney of their decision amid Celtic return talks

Not too long ago, Kieran Tierney was being viewed as a future Arsenal captain. He had been one of the club's best players in his first few years there and it had even led to links with teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid. But now, it looks like his time with the London club is as good as over and there are rumours of a return to Celtic.

Recently, there has been speculation that Tierney is giving a priority to returning to Celtic. It remains to be seen how accurate those rumours are.

Of course, Tierney attended a Celtic charity event alongside Brendan Rodgers recently. That has only added to the speculation regarding a potential return.

On the other hand, as reported by talkSPORT, Tierney has been told he can leave north London in January. Celtic are understood to be monitoring the Arsenal defender's situation.

Arsenal inform Kieran Tierney of their decision amid Celtic return talks

That news should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following Tierney's career in recent years. A combination of constant injury problems and the arrival of new players at Arsenal have meant that he is now far down the left-back pecking order in Mikel Arteta's side.

He spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and did well when fit. One would have expected him to leave Arsenal in the recent summer transfer window but an injury picked up at the EUROs prevented that from happening.

An exit seems to be only a matter of time though for a player who clearly does not have a future at Arsenal. An emotional return to Celtic would be welcomed by most Hoops fans with open arms but at the same time, there will be some concerns about his injury record. Let's see how things play out.