One of the main talking points from Arsenal’s pre-season win over AC Milan was two key absences.
Arsenal’s injury record over the 2024/25 season was a nightmare, and is something Mikel Arteta will want to move swiftly on from.
Unfortunately, injuries still plague the Arsenal squad, as in the first pre-season test of the tour of Asia, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes missed out.
Gabriel had returned from injury after undergoing surgery on his hamstring, featuring in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford, but against Milan, the Brazilian was nowhere to be seen.
Mikel Arteta explains Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber absence
Gabriel is so important to Arsenal, forming a partnership with William Saliba that is simply irreplaceable.
Fans became concerned when the centre-back wasn’t named in the squad to face Milan, with worry piled on when Timber was also spotted to be missing.
Timber underwent surgery just before the 2024/25 season ended, which is why he did not feature in the opening match in Singapore.
Arteta confirmed the status of the two players in his post-match press conference.
“Jurrien is still not there. He’s not fully training yet with us,” Arteta said, before revealing why Gabriel was absent.
“Gabi had a little niggle in training, and because he was out for so long, we have to manage him.”
Gabriel’s niggle is a concern, but Arteta’s update is also reassuring, stressing that the Gunners will not take any chances with the 27-year-old after his hamstring tear.
Timber will be counting down the days to return, while his Brazilian teammate will be easing himself back into the action with caution.
Timber’s injury was a real concern
The 2023/24 season was a nightmare for Timber, who suffered a campaign-ending injury on his Premier League debut.
Fortunately, the Dutchman returned with a vengeance last term, being an undroppable talent in Arteta’s defence.
The versatile full-back will return soon, but things could’ve been so much worse for Timber, who revealed the extent of his injury.
The Netherlands international doubted whether Arteta understood how bad his pain was, admitting that he did everything he could to play in the Champions League semi-final second-leg.
Arteta took the risk and played Timber, but his season ended shortly after the match in Paris.
The road to recovery will seem simple to the defender after the complexity of his ACL injury sustained in 2023, with all eyes on Timber’s return.
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