Kieran Tierney is going nowhere after finally making his presence felt at Arsenal and proving to be "a great addition" to Mikel Arteta's team.

Arsenal paid a reported £25million to sign left-back Tierney from Celtic last August but he did not make his debut until the end of September due to a groin problem.

He then required surgery on his shoulder in December and was ruled out for three months, finally making his return when the Premier League resumed in June following its hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Arteta has deployed a three-man defence in the Gunners' past three matches, with Tierney gaining plaudits for his performances in a slightly more advanced role on the left.

Earlier this year the Scotland international was linked with a move away from Emirates Stadium due to his injury problems, but Arteta feels he can be an asset to Arsenal in the long term.

"I'm very impressed with him since I joined, just before he started to play games as well, just how he was acting and working on his rehab," said Arteta ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham on Sunday.

"Everyone loves him at the club and it's not a coincidence, he earns that every single day [with] the way he treats people, the way he walks around the club, the energy he brings to the place. Then with his performances, I'm delighted.

"He's adapted really well, he's a player that gives you everything in every session and every game, and the quality as well that he's added, he's still so young, still things to improve obviously, but he's been a great addition to the team.

"He's not going anywhere. He had a really difficult period because of the injuries, because he moved to a different city and a different context.

"Back in Glasgow he was with a club that was winning all the time and he was very settled. It was a challenge for him and he's been dealing with that in the best possible way – with some difficulties, he needed the club to support him and his team-mates to make life easier for him.

"We're all trying to help him, but you help him with pleasure because of what he brings and how willing he is all the time to work, improve and give his maximum to the team.

"I think Kieran has adapted really, really well. Obviously it's a collective game and you need the right structure, the right people around you, the right players supporting you, to play in your best position obviously, and we are learning where he feels most comfortable and how he can have a bigger impact on the team. It's a process we are in."

Arteta outlined the reason for his recent tactical shift, stating it was part through necessity and part due to a desire to add some unpredictability.

"Well, we changed a little bit our formation in the last few weeks, just adapting to the injuries we have and the issues that occur around the team," he said.

"We need to be more flexible and we need adaptability, and we cannot be so predictable as well.

"I think it's very important that we are able to dominate different areas, different formations to improve as a team."

Arsenal are unbeaten in five games since losing back-to-back matches against Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion upon the league's return.

"I think you learn from every performance, from every reaction that situations bring to the team. The Brighton team again, I never faulted their effort or how willing they were or how hard they fought, it was about competing," said Arteta.

"In this league you cannot switch off, you cannot give anything to an opponent. If we are able to do that in a consistent way, we will be very difficult to beat. I know that for a fact, and I can see the progression of it.

"But without that, it doesn't matter what we do for 85 minutes, we will give many games away. That's the difference between top teams and teams that are not fighting for anything."