Kieran Tierney returned to the Real Sociedad squad on Friday, making his comeback from injury sooner than originally feared.

Arsenal loanee Kieran Tierney picked up a muscle injury last month, coming off against Celta de Vigo on January 20th.

Real Sociedad confirmed an injury to the left-back’s left thigh, and though they didn’t give a timeline for his absence, reports suggested the defender would be out for at least a month, possibly two.

There was no expectation that Tierney would be back before the end of February, which made his inclusion in Friday’s squad to face Villarreal a welcome surprise.

Tierney was named on the bench for the league clash on Friday night, though he didn’t come on in what turned out to be a 3-1 defeat.

The good news for Real Sociedad is they should now have Tierney available for a couple of big upcoming fixtures.

On Tuesday, Real Sociedad host Mallorca in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, having drawn the first leg 0-0 away from home.

Then, on March 5th, Tierney’s loan side host Paris Saint-Germain, hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.

Whether Tierney is ready to make a significant impact in those matches remains to be seen, but he’s the kind of player you know is going to be pushing to get straight back out there.