Arsenal have received a significant injury boost with Jurrien Timber returning to training ahead of this weekend’s Champions League final against PSG.
The 24-year-old Dutch international had been sidelined since sustaining a groin injury during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Everton on 14 March.
Timber has not played for 70 days, making his return to the training pitch a major development for Arsenal in the buildup to the Budapest showpiece.
According to The Independent, Timber came through his first training session since the injury, just in time for the Champions League final clash with PSG.
Arsenal had hoped Timber would return during their Premier League run-in, but he was not risked as the Gunners claimed their first top-flight title in over two decades.
The club now stands on the brink of a historic double, with Timber’s fitness becoming one of the most discussed topics surrounding the final.
Manager Mikel Arteta faces a significant selection headache at right-back, with Ben White having sustained a medial ligament injury in the 1-0 win over West Ham United.
Cristhian Mosquera has been identified as a potential option at right-back should Timber not be deemed fully match fit by the time the final arrives.
Arteta offered a cautiously optimistic update on Timber’s condition, drawing comparisons to the recent return of Mikel Merino to first-team training.
“Jurrien, let’s hope that he can do the same [as Merino’s progress] in the next few days,” Arteta said. “He’s still a little bit further behind than Mikel at the moment.”
Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman added further context to Timber’s situation when he announced his 26-man World Cup squad on Wednesday evening.
Koeman confirmed that Timber had been called up to the squad but that Jeremie Frimpong was left out, with his availability cited as a concern by the Dutch boss.
The 63-year-old revealed that Timber was due to train with Arsenal ahead of the final, and outlined the uncertainty surrounding his fitness going into the weekend.
“We have two players on the standby list: Ian Maatsen and Lutsharel Geertruida, and this is linked to Jurrien Timber,” Koeman said during his press conference.
“The situation with him is that he was due to train with the squad today, to see how things look ahead of the weekend. They have the Champions League final on Saturday. We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll make it.”
Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes Timber is uniquely suited to dealing with PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the final, pointing to their previous encounter.
“I watched his tussle with Kvaratskhelia last season. I thought he had quite a titanic battle, didn’t he, with Timber, Kvaratskhelia?” Keown told football.london.
“He’s maybe the one player in world football who can handle him, so I think it’s because of that he’s been given a bit more time.”
Keown acknowledged the unusual nature of the situation given Timber’s extended absence, but insisted his qualities make him a special case worth waiting for.
“Ordinarily, somebody who’s been out that long, you’d say, ‘okay, it’s too late’, because he hasn’t played for 14 games. But he’s quite a unique player. His mobility and the way that he’s able to pinch the ball, and he’s very aggressive and very much a contact defender.”
Keown added: “Their two wingers are really aggressive, the way they take a game to you, and you have to be able to match that. So those match-ups are really interesting.”
