Football News

Arsenal have been told to prepare Jurrien Timber for a return to the first team next season after he made an explosive impact against Blackburn Rovers' U21s this week.

Timber has missed nearly the entirety of this season after tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in the opening-day clash with Nottingham Forest. It was awful luck for the Dutchman who had only just arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Ajax that summer.

The defender made his return to the pitch on Monday as he curled home a stunning goal at Ewood Park. However, he only lasted 45 minutes as the Gunners take a tentative approach towards his first-team return.

Mikel Arteta has stressed he is hopeful Timber will return sooner rather than later but speaking to football.london, injury analyst Ben Dinnery was adamant that the defender should not be looking towards next season rather than this. He explained in association with Crypto Casino: "[The] Ideal pathway would be, between now and the end of the season, Timber will be included in the matchday squad, just from a personal point of view for that confidence booster and self-belief.

«When that injury first occurred, I maintained that any return would be a huge boost. Now he's in the conversation following his return with the U21s.

»Arsenal have squad availability in those full-back areas so they’ve got cover in that defensive area. It’s all well and good playing in U21s games and non-competitive fixtures, fantastic, but nothing compares to the Premier League.

Arsenal given massive Timber boost

How Arsenal squad reacted to Timber return

«The club will want to curb his enthusiasm, they’ll have a duty of care there, and they’ll want to make sure that there’s no reaction from Monday night. For me, I’d expect

Mikel Arteta Jurrien Timber Arsenal