Mikel Arteta has suggested Jurrien Timber is out for the season, but there have been some positive updates from elsewhere on the ACL injury.

Arsenal confirmed on Wednesday that Jurrien Timber had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee, and he’s now set to undergo surgery.

This is obviously terrible news for a player who was only just making his Premier League debut, and Mikel Arteta has since suggested Timber won’t be available for Arsenal again in 2023/24.

“What he was bringing to the team was evident, and he’s not going to be able to do it this season for us,” Arteta told a press conference. “We have to adapt.”

It hasn’t all been bad news, however. James Green reports for Sky Sports that the injury is solely an ACL tear, with no further damage to Timber’s knee, so it’s not as severe an injury as it could have been.

Mark Mann-Bryans confirms that it’s a “clean” ACL issue, with Arsenal hopeful of no damage elsewhere in the knee.

Both sources also report that the summer signing showed no immediate signs of being seriously injured, and that the club believe no extra damage was caused by Timber trying to play on after suffering the injury.

It’s probably a good thing now if Timber focuses on getting fit for the 2024/25 campaign, putting thoughts of a return this season out of his mind.

The reality is that ACL injuries generally take a year to fully recover from, even if you can technically be out on the pitch after seven or eight months if you’re lucky.

With the increased risk of further injuries for ACL injury sufferers, pushing for a return this season seems like an unnecessary gamble heaping extra pressure on the player.

As bad as it seems, it’s worth keeping in mind that it could have been worse.