'The rest have to lift it up': Mikel Arteta says £34m Arsenal player has really raised standards in training pre-Cherries

04/05/2024 10:35

Arsenal are in Premier League action early on Saturday as they host Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium in the day’s 12:30pm kick-off.

The Gunners will be eager to put the pressure on Manchester City by going four points clear of them before the Citizens host Wolves at 5:30pm.

Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table and remain firmly in title contention with just three games left to play for them.

The Gunners have also been handed another boost in the shape of Jurrien Timber returning to fitness after a season-long layoff.

Arsenal signed Timber for a reported £34million, but he sadly suffered an ACL injury in their opening game of the campaign.

It has been a long road to recovery for the Dutchman, but there’s a good chance he could make the matchday squad against Bournemouth.

Timber has featured in two Arsenal Under-21 games in recent weeks, but didn’t make the squad for the 6-2 win over Manchester United’s U21s on Friday.

This suggests the 22-year-old has been saved for the Arsenal senior team’s matchday squad, and speaking ahead of the game, Arteta sung the player’s praises.

What has Mikel Arteta said about Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber?

Arteta didn’t confirm whether Timber would play on Saturday, instead suggesting he would have to get the timing right with regards to his return to action.

“We're not going to know until we throw him in,” he told the Arsenal media team. “It's tricky because it’s only three games to go and he's missed eight months of football.

“He's played only 50 minutes of football with the under-21s, so it’s a question that has to be resolved only by throwing him on the pitch and seeing what happens. We have to try to nail that decision.”

Arteta also spoke about Timber’s quality in training and how his presence has led to his Arsenal teammates working even harder on the pitches.

“It does (lift the squad) because it increases the quality of the training sessions,” Arteta continued.

“You see how commanding he is, his leadership and his quality, and the rest have to lift it up.

“They start to demand more from each other and they look at each other and say: 'I better be good because I want to keep playing.' These are very positive for the squad.”

Jurrien Timber return a welcome boost for Arsenal

It’s a huge shame that Timber picked up such a devastating long-term injury right at the start of his Arsenal tenure, but it looks as though the worst is past him.

Timber looked very bright in pre-season, and as Arteta said, his presence in training alone has boosted the whole Arsenal playing squad.

Hopefully we’ll be get to see him return to action before the season’s up. My guess is he won’t start on Saturday but he could potentially get a runout in the latter stages of the match.