Jurrien Timber taken aback by Odegaard's gesture after devastating injury

22 August 2023 , 11:49

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Jurrien Timber receives treatment against Nottingham Forest (Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Jurrien Timber may have only managed one Premier League appearance before being dealt a hammer injury blow but clearly he's already endeared himself to his Arsenal teammates.

Timber was a £38.3 million arrival from Ajax this summer, and impressed in both the Community Shield win over Man City and the 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. But in the second half of that game he went down with a knee injury, and received lengthy treatment before his worst fears were later confirmed.

The following week, the club confirmed that Timber will require surgery for an ACL injury. It's set to rule him for several months, with Mikel Arteta facing up to the prospect of him not playing again in the 2023/23 season.

In his absence, Arsenal maintained their 100 percent record with a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Monday night. A penalty from skipper Martin Odegaard separated the sides, and the squad paid a touching tribute to their Dutch defender both before and after kick-off.

Odegaard himself held up Timber's shirt in the team picture before kick-off. And then after the three points had been secured, the Norwegian star did the same as the team posed in the dressing room to celebrate the result.

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And Timber, 22, was clearly touched by the gesture, and reposted the picture on his own Instagram account. With the image, he wrote "Team" alongside a prayer emoji, a clapping emoji and a red heart.

Gunners teammate Reiss Nelson also uploaded the snap to his Instagram story too, tagging Timber and including two red hearts, with the Dutch international already a popular figure within his new squad.

The squad held up Timber's shirt in the dressing room (jurrientimber/Instagram)

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The signing of Timber was hailed as a major coup for Arteta, given the defender had previously been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool.

But following the injury, the Spanish boss has since admitted he may now dip back into the transfer market for reinforcements: "It is a huge blow. Especially for him after just joining the club," he said.

"We recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident. I’m more thinking about the resources in the team to do what we want to do. But it’s true he was giving us a lot on both sides.”

Fraser Watson