Arsenal confirm Jurrien Timber knee injury amid fears of potential long-term absence

Arsenal have confirmed summer signing Jurrien Timber suffered a right knee injury during The Gunners’ 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.

Timber joined from Ajax for £40 million and made his debut at the Emirates on Saturday as Arsenal kick-started their 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a win, but the defender was taken off early in the second-half after picking up a knock.

There has been speculation that the injury could potentially rule the 22-year-old out of action for months, but Arsenal would only confirm he will be sent for further tests to get a clearer picture as to the extent of the issue.

“Further to his substitution during our match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Jurrien Timber has received extensive assessments and scans which have confirmed he has sustained an injury to his right knee,” an Arsenal statement read.

“Jurrien will undergo a further detailed assessment and review with a consultant in the coming days to assess the full extent of the injury, in order to determine the next steps. A further update will be provided in due course.

“Everyone at the club will be focused on supporting Jurrien at this time.”

Speaking after the win against Forest, Mikel Arteta was asked about Timber’s fitness, saying: “The officials, the doctors, they looked at him and they were happy to continue, him as week, but straight away in the second half the first action he made a movement and it was a bit funny so we took him straight out."

Timber was one of three major summer signings for Arsenal, who looked odds-on to end their title drought last year only to drop a raft of points and allow Manchester City to swoop in and defend their Premier League crown.

In a bid to go one better in 2023, Arteta strengthened his squad with the additions of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Timber. All three started in The Gunners’ opening Premier League victory but it remains to be seen when we will next see the Dutch defender in action.

Arsenal travel to Crystal Palace next before a tough run of fixtures that includes games against Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media