Timber injury latest: Arsenal statement, possible return date, Arteta update

All the latest regarding Jurrien Timber's knee injury as Arsenal wait for scan results on Dutch international

Arsenal got their 2023/24 Premier League campaign off to a solid start, securing a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka handed the north Londoners all three points at the Emirates Stadium but the match had one major negative. That was the injury to summer signing Jurrien Timber, who was holding his knee as he trudged off the pitch in the second half.

It remains to be seen just how serious the Dutch international's issue is, with Mikel Arteta hoping the player won't be set for an extended period on the sidelines. So, football.london has now rounded up everything we know about the 23-year-old's injury below.

Club statement

The club have said: "Further to his substitution during our match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Jurrien has received extensive assessments and scans which have confirmed he has sustained an injury to his right knee. Jurrien will undergo a further detailed assessment and review with a consultant in the coming days to assess the full extent of the injury, in order to determine the next steps.

"A further update will be provided in due course. Everyone at the club will be focused on supporting Jurrien at this time."

Potential timeline

football.london spoke to Doctor of Physical Therapy Dr Rajpral Brar regarding the possible injury timelines of Timber's injury depending on what the outcome of the scans show.

Regarding the potential timeline of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, he said: "The recovery time for an ACL injury is more ambiguous. For Grade 3 ruptures where surgery is typically done, the return is seven to nine months.

"However, Grade 2 moderate tears can also be deemed significant enough for operation which then effectively becomes the same timeline as a true Grade 3. Grade 1 and lower-end Grade 2 tears can range from three to six months depending on the specifics and other associated damage (often times the meniscus and MCL)."

Scan wait

Timber went for scans on the injury on Monday and is continuing to be assessed, football.london understands.

Player message

Timber has now broken his silence following the injury scare with a message on Twitter. He wrote: "A win to begin, *tick emoji*".

Mikel Arteta update

Timber sustained an injury in the first half of the game against Forest before appearing for the second period.

But he was unable to continue, eventually pulling up shortly after the break before being substituted. Speaking after the full-time whistle, Arteta said. "The doctors looked at him and they were happy for him to continue, he was as well.

"Straight away in the first action of the second half he made a movement and it was a bit funny. We took him out straight after and now we have to assess him and see what he has."