Arsenal star Jurrien Timber has joked about his record for the club so far as he nears a long-awaited return to action.
Jurrien Timber’s first season at Arsenal has not gone to plan.
The Gunners paid £38 million to sign the Dutchman in the recent summer transfer window. The versatile defender immediately caught the eye in pre-season.
Able to play anywhere across the back line, Mikel Arteta seemed most inclined to deploy Timber at left-back. The 22-year-old is defensively solid, but also has the technical ability to drift into the middle of the park and contribute to the team’s build-up play.
Timber is also an attacking threat. He has the pace and energy to push up the flank and make an impact in the final third. Timber wowed Arsenal fans with a stunning goal he scored during a recent outing with the under-21s.
Jurrien Timber jokes about his Arsenal success
The 15-cap Netherlands international started for Arsenal in the Community Shield, playing 76 minutes as Arteta’s side went on to win on penalties after Leandro Trossard’s late equaliser against Manchester City forced a shootout. Timber was therefore able to end his first competitive outing for the club by lifting silverware.
Timber was once again named in the starting XI at left-back for the opening game of the Premier League season, as Arsenal faced-off against Nottingham Forest. However, disaster struck as the full-back sustained a serious knee injury which has kept him sidelined ever since.
In a video recently put out on the club’s official website, Timber has now joked about the success rate of his Arsenal career so far. He said “Because I didn’t have many games, so those games are even more special…It’s like a dream come true…one game, one trophy. That’s a good record, and a good memory.”
Jurrien Timber could feature for Arsenal against Bournemouth
He is now nearing a return to first team action. It has been suggested that Timber could be named in Arteta’s matchday Arsenal squad to face Bournemouth this weekend.
It would be a huge boost if he were to be able to play a role for the club between now and the end of the campaign, but the most important thing is to not rush Timber back too quickly and risk aggravating his injury further.
The player will almost certainly feature regularly for the Gunners next season. Timber has used his time on the treatment table to familiarise himself with Arsenal’s tactics and will be aiming to hit the ground running once he has returned to full fitness.