Kieran Tierney brushes off worries over his fitness in Scotland training session

Kieran Tierney has brushed off any concerns over his fitness during his first Scotland training session this week.

The Arsenal left-back has not played since October 18 but has fully recovered from an ankle injury ahead of Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against Moldova on Friday.

Speaking from Scotland’s Spanish training camp in La Finca, near Alicante, assistant coach John Carver said: “He looked great this morning, full of running.

“He has been out some time now but he was on the bench at the weekend and he has come into the camp and trained exceptionally well. We don’t see any problems with him.”

Scotland manager Steve Clarke lost Grant Hanley and Ryan Fraser for the double header against Moldova and Denmark after naming his squad last week and added John Souttar, who impressed Carver in the Hearts back three during their 5-2 win over Dundee United on Saturday.

And the coach stated he had made an “unbelievable” return to training three years after getting sent off against Israel in his most recent international.

Carver added: “I actually went to the game to watch him on Saturday against Dundee United and he was outstanding. All the boys know him anyway but he has fitted in straight away.

“That’s a perfect fit, when you look at how he plays in the Hearts team, it’s more or less the same system as how we play, and the way he steps forward with the ball.

“I think in the game I watched he gave the ball away once in 95 minutes. That’s what impressed me more than anything. Because on Monday night if he is called on to play that position, we are going to have some of the ball and he is going to have to step in and have possession.

“That was on my mind when I was looking at him. He is suited to the system we play so it’s a perfect fit.”

With Lyndon Dykes and Ryan Christie suspended for Friday’s game, Stoke striker Jacob Brown was called up for the first time, and Carver feels he has settled in quickly.

“He is a real nice boy, a quiet boy, but he has fitted in really well,” he said. “He did his first proper training session today and we liked what we saw. He is different, got a change of pace, but he has fitted in straight away within the group and that doesn’t surprise me because they have made him feel part of it, which is very important.

“I have been at clubs in the past where new players have come in and found it difficult to mix. As soon as he walked through the door, everyone was around him and made him feel part of it.

“All the staff got to know him and I had a good chat with him about his background and where he has come from, and the various coaches he has worked with. It’s important for him to feel comfortable because it’s a big occasion being called up for the national team at such a young age.”