Jurrien Timber’s injury problem doesn’t appear to be serious, based on reviews of match footage, but the defender could still miss a few weeks in the worst-case scenario.
Jurrien Timber was forced out of Arsenal’s game against Everton on Saturday with an injury, picking up the problem midway through the first half and initially trying to play on, only to be substituted in the 38th minute.
Given the way the game ended, with Max Dowman breaking Premier League records and Arsenal earning a dramatic three points, no one thought to ask Mikel Arteta about Timber’s injury after the game.
As a result, we’ll need to wait until Arteta’s pre-Bayer Leverkusen press conference for an update. But reviews of the match footage suggest the problem isn’t too serious.
Physio Scout reports on social media that the TV footage suggests Timber was dealing with two problems, a lateral ankle sprain and a potential adductor issue.
If the ankle is the main problem, Timber could even return to action in less than a week. Though a lateral sprain with any structural damage would mean a few weeks on the sidelines.
An adductor injury would probably mean a couple of weeks out, so if that’s the primary issue then Timber will be unavailable for this week’s Champions League last-16 second leg and the League Cup final on Sunday.
The good news is that the international break is after that, so Timber would have some time to recover before Arsenal’s next game if the Netherlands were forced to leave him out.
Timber has been a consistent starter for Arsenal this season, playing 43 times in all competitions, so it would be a blow to lose him for any length of time. But Arsenal do have options in his absence, with Cristhian Mosquera coming on against Everton but Ben White also available to play at right-back.
Arteta should provide an update in his press conference on Monday afternoon, but Arsenal have an open training session just after midday that could also give us a hint.