Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has admitted playing on New Years Day was certainly a new experience, but one he’s happy to have after missing last season through injury.
The Dutch defender has been speaking to Viaplay, via Voetbal Primeur, where he admitted that it’s a case of the more the merrier for him this season when it comes to appearances.
The 23-year-old is very much working to catch up at the Emirates after joining Arsenal in a €40m deal from Ajax in July 2023.
He had been a big part of Mikel Arteta’s plans moving forwards but instead spent the entirety of last season on the treatment table after suffering a cruciate ligament tear on the opening day of the season.
That saw him miss 53 games for club and country and spend 252 days out of action in total, returning in April 2024 after suffering the injury in August.
He worked across the summer to be ready for this season and has been a regular so far, making 24 appearances in all competitions to date. The latest of those was 90 minutes in the 3-1 win over Brentford on New Year’s Day, a new experience for Timber that he was glad to have.
“Yes, it’s going well. I’m fit and playing a lot of games. I had a good time with the family around Christmas, so that’s good,” he said.
“Yes, that is a bit new to me (playing on NYD). But I’m just happy that I can play now. Because I missed the entire season last year, I’m just happy with all the games, to be honest.
“That’s nice, especially because you’ve been out for a while. Because you’ve been out, you need some time to get match fit again. With the matches I play I’ve had the opportunity to do that. So that’s certainly nice. “
