Arsenal summer signing Jurrien Timber was dealt an unlucky blow as he picked up a long-term injury on his Premier League debut, but he has issued a positive update on his recovery.
The Dutchman was sensational as he made his debut against Manchester City in the Community Shield, and was excellent in the first half of his Premier League bow against Nottingham Forest.
However, Timber ruptured a cruciate ligament at the start of the second half, and is set to miss most of the campaign, in what has been a huge blow.
It is unclear when he will return, and whether that will be this season, with it recently reported that he could even miss the European Championships this summer, but Timber has now given a promising update.
Jurrien Timber drops Arsenal return hint
Speaking on The Breakdown covering Arsenal’s victory over Wolves on Saturday, Timber revealed that he is making good progress on his road to recovery.
“I’m making good progress. It won’t be the whole season [out], I hope, I know it’s going well,” he stated.
“It’s hard at the same time, but I’m doing my best, working hard, and just enjoying being busy.”
What impact could Timber have on Arsenal?
Even if he does manage to return from injury in this campaign, it may be too soon to expect too much from Timber as he navigates a return to full fitness.
It will take time for Timber to get up to speed, and if Arsenal are competing in a title race or in the latter stages of the Champions League, throwing him straight into intense games would represent a risk of re-injury.
When Timber is ready to return, he is able to play across the entire back line, making him an incredibly useful asset like Takehiro Tomiyasu.
In both of his appearances so far, he appeared as a left-back in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Even if he does not return as an immediate starter, having a player of his quality in rotation and on the bench, would provide a massive boost for Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League this season, and can further solidify their backline once Timber returns.
Arteta may look to strengthen his back line in the winter transfer window until Timber returns, with Tomiyasu’s fitness up in the air and Arsenal short of options right now, but the defence looks set in the long run.
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