Jurrien Timber to return from eight-month ACL injury layoff

As his ACL recuperation draws to a close, Jurrien Timber is anticipated to make his on-field debut on Monday night for the first time since August. According to reports, Timber will likely play a role in Arsenal’s Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers, marking the “last big step” following an extensive rehabilitation for one of the worst injuries in football history.

On August’s opening day of the Premier League, Timber was replaced after just 50 minutes of play after sustaining the dreaded injury during Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest. Playing left-back both times, he had earlier opened the Gunners’ Community Shield victory over Manchester City at Wembley. By February, the Dutchman was back in the gym.

“He’s going to play a game with the [Under] 23s and after that we will see better how he feels,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had said of Timber last week. “He looks really good in training, but it’s that last big step. We need to see if he’s ready and how it’s going to go.”

With just five games remaining as Arsenal concentrates all of their efforts on winning a Premier League title for the first time in 20 years, Timber’s participation against Blackburn will help gauge his level of fitness and serve as a precursor to possibly returning to first-team action before the end of the season. In the end, Timber will essentially be like a new signing again when 2024–25 preseason training gets underway in July if all goes according to plan.