Speaking on the Go Radio podcast, former Scotland and Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson said: "I would like to find out why Kieran Tierney didn't get a look in at Arsenal. For me, he should be playing at Arsenal. It was a strange one.
"But only Kieran and Mikel Arteta know the reasons why. He is a top player. In my eyes, he is Scotland's most important player. I think he has got a bit about him. He is a leader. He has everything about him. I just like him.
"Every time I watched Arsenal when he wasn't playing. I was thinking to myself 'why?' There must be a reason why. It's not because of his attitude. He is better than Oleksandr Zinchenko and Tomiyasu Tomiyasu. He has the full package.
"He brings a real presence to the Scotland team. I am not talking about physical presence, in terms of size. But his all-round game is just quality. He has got that fiery bit about him. That's a dying breed. He is a throwback, Tierney."
Tierney fell out of Arteta's favour last season with the manager even opting to use players out of position at left-back over the Scotland international.
The 26-year-old will be spending the 2023/24 campaign on loan at La Liga side Real Sociedad and his long-term Arsenal future will be assessed next summer.
