(Credit: Imago)

Ben Palmer

Thu 31 July 2025 21:55, UK

Jurrien Timber shared a heartfelt message to which Bukayo Saka reacted as the defender continues his recovery from injury.

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The Dutchman arrived in North London as a highly sought-after defensive option capable of playing at both right-back and centre-back.

And whilst Timber has impressed since joining Arsenal, his development has been stunted by a series of injury issues.

Mikel Arteta has been without Jurrien Timber.

Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media

In the 2023/24 season, the 24-year-old suffered an ACL tear, ruling him out for the best part of a year as he missed 53 games for club and country.

Timber’s injury issues have continued to plague him, and the ex-Feyenoord man missed a further 13 games last term due to a variety of smaller injuries.

Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat to North London rivals Tottenham in a pre-season friendly on Thursday, 31 July.

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And whilst Timber was unable to participate, Mikel Arteta predicted that he would be fit for the 2025/26 curtain raiser against Man United on 17 August [The Standard].

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The Netherlands international shared an image of himself on Instagram, captioned: “Just thankful to be back training with the team.”

Saka reacted to the post by liking it, showing his support for his stricken teammate.

Football Insider Verdict

Man City‘s collapse last term gave Arsenal the perfect opportunity to claim their first Premier League crown since 2004.

But injuries became the ultimate stumbling block for the Gunners, as Liverpool left the North London side in a trail of dust.

The issues became so bad that Mikel Merino spent time as a makeshift number nine as Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka missed prolonged periods.

Viktor Gyokeres joined Arsenal this summer.

Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, and Noni Madueke will not only add quality, but also depth, in case of another crisis like last season.

With a deeper squad and several positional issues addressed, it’s over to you, Mikel Arteta, to prove you have what it takes.

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