Jurrien Timber has played through the pain barrier for Arsenal in recent months and will now undergo surgery on his ankle.
The Dutchman has enjoyed an exceptional campaign for the Gunners, making 48 appearances across all competitions, scoring twice and providing four assists.
With Ben White absent for over three months due to injury, the former Ajax man has been forced to play almost every minute for Arsenal throughout a congested fixture schedule.
This appears to have caught up with him, after it emerged on Monday that Timber will have ankle surgery in the off-season.
Arsenal are optimistic Jurrien Timber will return for pre-season
Arsenal have been plagued by injury issues this season, with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes all spending significant chunks of the season on the sidelines.
Timber has enjoyed a relatively injury-free campaign, missing merely a handful of matches with various knocks.
However, according to the Standard, the Netherlands international has been nursing pain in his ankle in recent months, and Mikel Arteta has subsequently opted not to use him since the Gunners crashed out of the Champions League.
After the news emerged yesterday that Timber would now undergo ankle surgery, reports suggested that his potential return date isn’t yet known.
However, the Standard now indicates that there is optimism around Arsenal that he will recover in time for the start of pre-season.
This would be a huge boost for Arteta, who is yet to have both White and Timber fully fit and firing at his disposal for a protracted period of time.
William Saliba might not play against Southampton for Arsenal
William Saliba was forced off with a hamstring injury against Newcastle on Sunday at half-time.
Arteta didn’t reveal much about the extent of the Frenchman’s setback after the clash with the Magpies, but the Standard suggests that he will undergo further medical tests this week to determine the severity of the issue.
The publication reports that Arsenal will not take any risks with Saliba, and it’s very possible that he’ll be left out of the game on the final day away at Southampton.
This would likely mean Riccardo Calafiori and Jakub Kiwior form Arsenal’s central defensive partnership against the Saints.
Both players impressed in Saliba’s absence in the second period against Newcastle and will be looking to build on that on the south coast on Sunday.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
