Arsenal rookie out of action for many months

Timber had to leave the field to make way for Takehiro Tomiyasu in the 50th minute of the match against Nottingham Forest in the first round of the Premier League on August 12. Minutes earlier, he had hurt his knee after trying to compete for the ball with striker Brennan Johnson. The Dutch defender's injury was worse than expected, because in an interview after the game, coach Mikel Arteta said that the doctors had planned for Timber to continue playing.

However, according to British media on August 14, Timber will have to take a long-term break. He tore both the meniscus and the anterior cruciate ligament of his knee, the type of injury that kept the player out of action for months. In the worst case scenario, he could be absent for most of the season.

Timber impressed in the Super Cup match against Man City, and continued to start at left-back against Nottingham. Defender Oleksandr Zinchenko is slowly returning from injury, while Tomiyasu or Kieran Tierney can also play in this position. According to Athletic, Arsenal may not need to flinch as they have plenty of back-ups, but the players above may not be as reassuring to Arteta as Timber.

Timber has just joined Arsenal for a transfer fee of 43 million USD from Ajax, taking the main kick with expensive rookies such as Kai Havertz or Declan Rice. Timber is even more impressive than the two players above, although left-back is not his forte position. The best player in the Dutch league season 2021-2022 also plays well in the role of central defender and right-back.

Timber is the second official Arsenal player to be out of action this season, after Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian forward had to undergo knee surgery and was absent for the first few weeks of the season.