Takehiro Tomiyasu dropped, Mikel Arteta decision - Jurrien Timber Arsenal return verdict given

Jurrien Timber is closing in on a return to first-team action having been sidelined since August.

The Dutch defender suffered a serious ACL injury during the Gunners' opening Premier League match of the season, a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, and has remained unavailable for selection ever since.

It was anticipated at the time Timber would not play again during the 2023/24 season, though the 22-year-old recently made a comeback appearance for Arsenal under-21s versus Blackburn Rovers. Coming through unscathed, he then featured in a 2-0 win against Liverpool under-21s last Sunday.

Mikel Arteta confirmed on Friday afternoon the former Ajax star would not be taking part in Friday night's fixture against Manchester United under-21s, raising the possibility of Timber being included in the matchday squad for Bournemouth. This did not prove to be the case, however, ensuring there are only two more chances for the defender to feature in 2023/24.

The Arsenal boss made clear the defender is ready to play, admitting this represented a major boost for his side. «It does [act as a boost] because it increases the quality of the training sessions,» he said. «You see how commanding he is, his leadership, his quality and the rest they have to lift it up and they start to demand more from each other and they look at each other and say 'mhmm, I better be good because I want to keep playing', and this is very positive for the squad.»

Pushed further on whether Timber is ready to make an impact, Arteta added: «We won’t know that until we throw him in there. It’s tricky because there are only three games to go and he has missed eight months of football, he’s played only 115 minutes of football with the Under-21s, it’s a question that can only be