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Jurrien Timber injury: Mikel Arteta provides fresh update on ACL recovery
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber is recuperating “very fast” after an ACL injury suffered on his Premier League debut in August.
Timber signed Arsenal from Ajax for an original fee of £34 million, but he was pulled off after only 50 minutes of the season’s first game.
The length of ACL layoffs varies greatly, although the average is between seven and nine months. With that likely timeline and Arteta’s favorable news, Timber might be back on the field before the conclusion of the season.
“He is doing very well,” the Gunners boss explained this week.
“Obviously he’s going through a really significant injury but he’s flying to be fair, the stage he is right now. The way he works every single day is incredibly satisfying to watch, but unfortunately we’re going to miss him still for a long time.
“[His recovery is] very fast. The first few steps are crucial for that injury, for the amount of work they have to do for the knee to be resolved and get some activity and mobility back and start to build the strength. Especially how the head is throughout that period, I think he’s in a really good place.”
When Timber joined on, the goal was to become Arsenal’s starting right-back. Ben White, whose favorite position is in the center of defense, was once required to play there for a large portion of the season due to his long-term absence and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s frequent fill-in on the left.
Arsenal sent scouts to see Jeremie Frimpong play during Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga match against Borussia Dortmund earlier this month because they believe that the right-back position may need to be strengthened. It is anticipated that he will go in 2024, and his £35 million release clause will expire this summer. However, Liverpool was also observing the 23-year-old throughout that match.