Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has opened up on his injury-hit start to life at the Emirates Stadium.
Tierney moved from Celtic to north London in a deal worth around £25m last summer.
However, the Scotland international has been restricted to just 11 appearances in all competitions - five of those have come in the Premier League - due to injury.
Tierney has not played since dislocating his shoulder against West Ham in December.
And the defender has described his frustration at not being able to play a bigger role in his debut campaign with the Gunners.
“The night at West Ham away was a hard night for me. I knew I had dislocated my shoulder in the first 10, 15 minutes and straight away you know what you've done," he told SPORTbible.
“Then another 10 minutes, I did the same kind of thing. I landed differently. It was a set-piece and my arm just went into a position that wasn't comfortable at all and dislocated.
“It was heartbreaking because in my head I knew I needed an operation. Three times in 30 minutes, nobody's shoulder should be going like that.
“So in my head, I was like 'that's me out for another few months'. You know that and you know the devastation straight away. You can see it on my face.
“Being injured at the start of my Arsenal career was hard. Mentally, it was probably the toughest time of my life.
“Keeping myself motivated and energised, for me, is quite easy because I've got great people around me. I've got my family, my friends and everybody I need.
“I will go work hard every single day for myself, for the club, for my family.
“The mental side of the game is probably the most important. Everybody loves going out and playing football but to be mentally tough and deal with all these obstacles and people throw at you, it's the hardest part. But when you get to the other side, it's the most rewarding.”
The Premier League is currently on hold until April 30 at the earliest due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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