07 February 2024 , 16:19
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Mikel Arteta has handed Jurrien Timber a massive boost by including the crocked defender in the Gunners’ Champions League squad for the knockout phase.
Timber has been out of action since he suffered a cruciate ligament knee injury against Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the season. The £38 million signing from Ajax had looked a perfect fit for Arsenal on the pre-season tour of the United States and in the Community Shield triumph against Manchester City.
But now Gunners messiah Arteta has sent the clearest indication yet that Timber, 22, will be back well before the end of the campaign by naming him in a 25-man squad for the Champions League, where Arsenal face Porto in the last 16 in a fortnight.
Timber replaces Lino Sousa, the left-back who was a surprise inclusion on the original list for European football submitted by Arteta last September.
Sousa has since signed for Aston Villa, freeing up a place in the squad for Timber, and hopes are rising that the Dutchman will be ready to make his comeback before Easter.
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Timber flew to Dubai with the Gunners squad for their mid-season sunshine camp last month. Arteta admitted: “We are hopeful that he can have an impact at the end of the season if everything goes well. It looks like there is a chance that might happen.”
Jurrien Timber joined Arsenal's mid-season training camp in Dubai (Stuart MacFarlane)And Timber has remained upbeat during his long lay-off, despite admitting his frustration at having to watch his team-mates stay in the thick of the title race and make headway in Europe.
Speaking to the club website, he said: “Apart from the injury, the move has been really good. I’ve had some time to integrate into the club and in London while I’ve been injured. It’s a different opportunity to get to know London and to feel at home - that’s the positive side of it. I feel comfortable at the club, with the boys and the staff, but also where I live.
“Of course at some points it’s been difficult because you’re not playing, and that’s the thing you love to do.
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Jurrien Timber limps off on his Premier League debut (PA)“Sometimes you really want to join the team - when you are enjoying the game so much you really want to get down there and be part of it. That’s frustrating because sometimes it looks amazing and you really want to be a part of it.
“But I use that as motivation during my recovery and these months will definitely make me stronger. Even though I’m not playing, I can take this moment to become stronger mentally, physically, and also to feel at home with this group of boys.
“I’ve had some time to watch the team, see how we play, how I can fit in when we get on the pitch.
“It’s nice that we have some young players, but I have to say when they are on the pitch that you don’t notice it because they look like they have played here together for 10 years.”