Jurrien Timber's Arsenal return confirmed as star to play for first time since August

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 12: Jurrien Timber of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)

Arsenal's Jurrien Timber is poised to make his long-awaited return to action after an eight-month injury lay-off, providing a significant boost to the Gunners' defensive options. The 21-year-old Dutch defender is set to feature in a Premier League 2 game for Arsenal's under-21 side against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park today.

Timber has been sidelined since sustaining a severe knee ligament injury during his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest last August. However, he has made considerable progress in his rehabilitation, rejoining team training and now advancing to match play as part of his recovery.

There's optimism within the club that Timber, who can operate across the defence and impressed during pre-season, might yet contribute to Arsenal's first-team campaign before the season concludes.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 12: Jurrien Timber of Arsenal goes down with an injury during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images) Trending window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240416.min.js"

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his anticipation for Timber's return on Friday, stating: "He's going to play a game with the under-21s and after that, we will see better where he is, how he felt. 

"He looks really good in training, but it's that last step now. We need to have the certainty that he's ready to go."

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Fans are eager to see if Timber can become the versatile asset they hoped for this term.

Arteta is confident that the £40m player, who is continuing to step up his recovery, could feature before the summer and will be a key player for Arsenal in the long term.

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Jurrien Timber's Arsenal return confirmed as star to play for first time since August

Jurrien Timber's Arsenal return confirmed as star to play for first time since August

Jurrien Timber's Arsenal return confirmed as star to play for first time since August

Jurrien Timber's Arsenal return confirmed as star to play for first time since August

Jurrien Timber's Arsenal return confirmed as star to play for first time since August