Jurrien Timber breaks silence on Arsenal injury scare with four-word message as he confirms shocking injury duration

Jurrien Timber has spoken for the first time since being withdrawn on his Premier League debut at Arsenal due to a knee problem.

The Netherlands international went over awkwardly in a challenge with Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson which also saw him booked.

The incident occurred right before half time but Timber returned back out for the second half only to be taken off five minutes after the break and replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Following the conclusion of the game, Arteta delivered his first words on the injury, with the early prognosis not looking good.

“I said on air, I hope it’s his calf and not his knee,” Arteta explained on TNT Sport. “But the outside of his right knee landed awkwardly in the initial challenge in the first half. He’ll go for a scan over the weekend and fans will keep their fingers crossed that it’s not too bad.”

The decision to bring Timber back out seemed a confusing one given he appeared in some discomfort, however Arteta provided more clarity on the decision in his press conference.

Both Timber and the Ukraine international play as inverted full-backs, a role integral to Arteta’s system, and therefore both being out of the matchday squad could be a major concern for the Spaniard.

Regarding other suspected defensive injuries, Gabriel Magalhaes was named on the bench for the clash, but Arteta provided clarity on the decision after the game

Asked if leaving him out was tactical, Arteta said: “Yeah, we expected a game that actually happened and we needed somebody else in midfield to do what we did best, to have more fluidity and occupy certain spaces in relation to how they’re defending. It worked really well.”

from Football Audit
via i9bet