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Jurrien Timber provides injury update ahead of Arsenal vs Leeds clash
Oct 04 2026 20:48 · By Tom Olver · 9 Reads
Jurrien Timber was sidelined for two months with a hamstring injury last season (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber says he is yet to reach full match fitness and must be ‘very smart’ about his return to first-team action to avoid further injury.
It has proven a deeply frustrating period for Timber over the last year, with a groin problem keeping the Dutchman sidelined for two months in the back-end of Arsenal’s title-winning campaign.
Given Timber had returned from an ACL injury in his debut season at the Emirates to establish himself as arguably the finest right-back in the Premier League, his latest setback will have come as a bitter blow.
Despite featuring in Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to PSG in May, the 25-year-old was not deemed fit enough to be considered for the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign in the summer..
Determined to avoid a recurrence of the injury, Mikel Arteta has been keen to take a cautious approach with Timber’s fitness in the intervening months – and full-back did not appear in any of the Gunners’ pre-season fixtures.
Timber made his long-awaited return as a substitute in Arsenal’s victory over Sunderland last month before playing an hour of the champions’ defeat to Brighton prior to the international break.
It was enough to earn Timber a call-up to Xavi’s Netherlands squad and the former Ajax man was handed a start against Greece in the Nations League.
The Dutchman was forced to miss this year’s World Cup (Picture: Getty)
Arteta played Timber for 60 minutes of Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton (Picture: Focus Images Ltd/Shutterstock)
He then dropped back down to the bench versus Serbia this weekend, telling reports ahead of the clash: ‘I have to be very smart about the steps we take.
‘Otherwise, I’ll suffer a setback, and I don’t want that.
‘I want to play every game and take part in every training session.
Timber started against Greece in the Nations League (Picture: EYE4images/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
‘However, the physios advise me on what is best for me. So, I need to listen to them carefully.’