Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Jurrien Timber is even closer to making a return, missing Arsenal’s Under-21s match against Manchester United the day before the first team play Bournemouth.
“He won’t be playing that game tonight (May 3),” Arteta said on Timber’s availability. “Everybody’s fit and available (for Bournemouth), so now it’s a headache to make the right selection.”
Timber missed eight months of football with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, suffered in Arsenal’s opening day win over Nottingham Forest on August 12. The 22-year-old has made two appearances for the Under-21s in recent weeks, away to Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool.
Asked whether the Netherlands international will have enough rhythm to make an impact in Arsenal’s final three games of the season, Arteta added: “We’re not going to know that until we throw him there. It’s tricky because there are only three games to go and he’s missed eight months of football.
“He’s played only 150 minutes of football with the Under-21s. It’s a question that can only be resolved by throwing him on the pitch and seeing what happens. We have to try to nail that decision of when.”
“It does (give the squad a boost) because it increases the quality of the training sessions. To see how commanding he is, his leadership, his quality – the rest have to lift it up. They start to demand more from each other. They look at each other and say ‘I better be good, because I want to keep playing’. This is very positive for the squad.”
Timber was signed from Ajax as a defender who could play both right-back and centre-back. He impressed most during pre-season at left-back, however, and that is where his appearances for the Under-21s have come.
Arteta has insisted that he can still be used across the backline, while providing more threat in the final third than other full-back options.
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