Arsenal have now confirmed their 25-man squad for the Champions League group stages, but summer signing Jurrien Timber has been left out.
Timber was dealt a massive blow when he picked up a cruciate ligament injury during his Premier League debut, after heavily impressing in pre-season and the Community Shield, and is set to miss the majority of the season.
He is certainly not in contention to feature in the group stage, with Arsenal set to face Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven and RC Lens as they return to the competition for the first time since 2017.
Arsenal have left him off the registration list as a result, which has seen out-of-favour defender Cedric Soares registered ahead of him, but they are able to add him in January if the club progresses to the knockout stages and believe he will recover in time to play a part.
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Timber’s devastating blow
The Dutchman arrived for around £34m from Ajax, and in his limited minutes, looked to be one of the bargain buys of the summer.
Capable of playing across the back line, the 22-year-old slotted into Mikel Arteta’s side instantly, and his quality was evident during his two appearances after a strong pre-season.
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He was a player brought in to add depth to the back line with Arsenal returning to the Champions League, and he would have been particularly useful for rotation once the group stages begin.
Arsenal will hope that he can make some sort of return this season, and if the Gunners make it beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League, there is a small chance he could return to play a part.
It seems likely that the club will therefore register him in January, assuming Arsenal make it beyond the group stages, unless there is a setback in his injury which will confirm his absence for the whole season.