Mikel Arteta has to try Arsenal star in new position after what he just did for his country

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Mikel Arteta will have been delighted watching one of his Arsenal stars play for their nation on Thursday night.

Arsenal have 18 players away on international duty this week, many of whom will be involved in crucial World Cup qualifiers.

Bukayo Saka scored for England in a friendly against Wales at Wembley on Thursday, on a night where Declan Rice captained the Three Lions.

However, it was a different Gunners star whose performance Arteta will have been intrigued by.

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Jurrien Timber played at centre-back for the Netherlands against Malta

Jurrien Timber played as a centre-back for the Netherlands against Malta on Thursday.

Ronald Koeman’s side travelled to the island nation for a crucial World Cup qualifier and ran out 4-0 winners, courtesy of a brace from Cody Gakpo and strikes from Tijani Reijnders and Memphis Depay.

Deployed alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Dutch defence, Timber produced a solid display, outshining his Liverpool counterpart.

Dutch media were very complimentary of the Arsenal full-back, who looked assured in an unusual role.

Timber has arguably been the best right-back in the Premier League this season, yet he showcased his quality and versatility by producing a flawless performance centrally for his nation.

Mikel Arteta should experiment with Jurrien Timber as a centre-back

Since Timber arrived in North London, Arteta has been reticent to deploy him as a centre-back.

This is most likely because of the 24-year-old’s size, with the fear being that he could be dominated aerially by imposing strikers.

However, up against 6’1 Maltese striker Irvin Cardona on Thursday, Timber had no issues in this regard, dealing with the centre-forward for 90 minutes.

Thus, the player demonstrated to Arteta that using him in this position, moving forward, is a viable and dependable option.

In fact, the Spanish manager ought to consider experimenting with him in this role, perhaps in a League Cup game when Ben White is fit to cover him at right-back.

While Arteta has William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera at his disposal, it’s a good idea to take a look at Timber and assess whether he can depend on the player in this role if he needs to at a pressure point in the season.