Timber leaves Arsenal camp over groin issue

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has left the club’s pre-season training base in Spain and returned to London as part of management of a groin problem. The issue had already kept the Netherlands international out of the World Cup, after he previously missed the closing stages of Arsenal’s last campaign through an ankle injury.

According to the BBC, sources have indicated that the trip back to London is planned within Timber’s rehabilitation programme rather than the result of a fresh setback. The report says the right-back is expected to go back to Spain and link up again with Mikel Arteta’s squad.

Timber is an important player for Arsenal, having established himself as the club’s first-choice right-back and made 30 Premier League appearances in their title-winning season, the BBC reported. He also returned from his ankle absence in time to feature around the Champions League final period, when Arsenal were beaten by Paris St-Germain.

The fitness update matters because Arsenal are preparing for competitive fixtures next month. The BBC lists the Community Shield against Manchester City on 16 August as their next major test, followed by the start of their Premier League title defence against promoted Coventry City on 21 August. Timber joined Arsenal from Ajax in July 2023 for an initial £34m, but his first season in England was heavily disrupted by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.