The Dutch defender had a minor foot issue during the Gunners’ USA tour. To avoid overloading him after his ACL surgery, the medical team decided to rest him for friendlies against Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, and Lyon.
Timber, who faced a near season-ending injury on the first day of last season, is now fully fit and ready to play. Arteta stated, “Yes, he will be in the squad for tomorrow. He had a tough period, but he used it well. We managed to improve in many areas, and now he’s ready to play.”
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Arteta also mentioned that Fabio Vieira’s participation is uncertain due to a hip problem, but he is optimistic about Vieira’s recovery. “We have to check him after training, but he looked better today,” said Arteta.
Arteta also revealed that Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney will be sidelined for the next few weeks. Tomiyasu has a knee injury, and Tierney is recovering from a hamstring tear sustained during Euro 2024. Arteta emphasized the need to support Tierney through his recovery.
With a challenging start to the Premier League, including away games against Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Spurs, Arsenal decided to recall David Raya, Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice earlier than expected from their post-Euro 2024 holidays. This decision contrasts with other clubs, like Manchester City, which gave their players an extra week off.
Arteta explained, “We believe it was the right thing to do. We shared the plan with the players to find the right schedule for all of them, and we agreed on this approach.”
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