A key member of the Arsenal team has returned to first-team training after a near-accident, just in time for the team’s Premier League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
As the Gunners get ready for their opening Premier League match of the 2024–2025 season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, a significant Arsenal star has finally been spotted back in training.
Since playing against Manchester United during Arsenal’s preseason tour of the United States, Jurrien Timber has not practiced and has missed friendlies against Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, and Olympique Lyonnais.
His return will be welcomed news as fans had been concerned about his fitness, particularly since he missed the entire previous season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Manager Mikel Arteta has insisted throughout the Dutch defender’s absence that it is only a minor issue, despite the doubts and fears of the supporters.
After Sunday’s 2-0 Emirates Cup victory over Olympique Lyonnais, the Spaniard said, “It’s fine.” It’s evident now that Timber has been working on his own. Since he is not reacting, we anticipate that he will be prepared to train with the group in the upcoming week. Thus, very favorable.
He had previously stated, “Jurrien had a little discomfort in his foot in the last few days and obviously after the amount of time he’s been out we didn’t want to take any risk with him,” which clarified the nature of the problem.
There is less pressure on Timber to be ready right away because the team already has four first-team left-backs, including recent addition Riccardo Calafiori, but his return to training will still be good news.
The news has been well received by fans. One person commented on X (previously Twitter) that “the moment he gets fit enough to play, it [is] bad news for rival clubs.”
