New Injury return date: Arteta announced today when Jurrien Timber will be back from injury as player is expected to come back sooner than expected
Mikel Arteta has issued a fresh update on Jurrien Timber ahead of Arsenal’s final Champions League group stage clash against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old defender, who joined the Gunners from Ajax in summer, suffered a devastating injury on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
At the end of the first-half of Arsenal’s clash against Nottingham Forest, Timber went down clutching his right knee. After receiving treatment, he returned to the field for the second-half but he was quickly replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Following scans and further assessments, the north London outfit later revealed that the Netherlands international ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament – an injury which is set to keep him out of action for a large chunk of the season. Arsenal have suffered in his absence, and he’s expected to remain on the sidelines for a ‘long time’.
When asked for an update on the Dutchman, Arteta said: “He’s doing really well. He’s going through a really significant injury but he’s flying at the stage that he is right now. The way that he works every day is very satisfying to watch. We’re still going to miss him for a long time.”
Then, when quizzed on how fast Timber is recovering, the Spaniard added: “The first few steps are crucial for the amount of work they have to do in the knee to get the mobility and the strength back.”
With Timber unavailable for selection, Arteta has been left no choice but to call-up reinforcements from Hale End. Ethan Nwaneri, Reuell Walters and Lino Sousa have all travelled with the first-team squad to Eindhoven for the clash against PSV – and the Arsenal boss is relishing the occasion.
“Three big prospects,” said Arteta. “We want to keep developing players from our system. There are circumstances that have brought them here. We will try to give them the opportunity if we can in the right moment.”
While Nwaneri, Walters and Sousa will be desperate to feature against PSV on Tuesday night, Arteta has sent them a warning. He said: “On TV it looks easier. The level is really high.
“The demands that the game has got right now is huge and the competition as well. I’m very positive with a few that we have at the moment.”
