Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given the latest update on Jurrien Timber's recovery from a back injury, confirming that while the Dutch defender is back on the training pitch, he remains some way from returning to competitive action.
Timber missed almost the entirety of the final two months of last season through injury, only reappearing briefly as a substitute in the Champions League final. He does not require surgery on the issue, but Arsenal have already indicated that he will be sidelined for an extended period as he continues his rehabilitation.
Speaking to reporters, Arteta explained that Timber is making encouraging progress but cautioned against expecting a swift return. "I cannot be very precise with that," Arteta said. "Jurrien is progressing really well. He's on the pitch, he's doing quite a lot right now. But he's still weeks away. I cannot tell you much."
The Spanish coach also detailed the careful approach being taken with the defender's recovery programme, revealing that Timber had to significantly reduce his workload in recent weeks to avoid aggravating the problem. "He is in rest mode at the moment," Arteta said. "For two weeks he had to do almost nothing, don't aggravate the injury. It's going to take some time to heal, we know that. As quick as we have more news, we can inform."
Timber's recovery comes amid a disjointed pre-season for Arsenal, largely shaped by the number of players involved in the World Cup over the summer. Because those players were entitled to the mandatory three weeks of rest afterward, Arteta has been forced to work with different squad groups returning to training at staggered intervals throughout pre-season.
The final contingent of players, including the club's English and Spanish contingent, is set to report back this week. However, two key figures have already returned ahead of schedule. Goalkeeper David Raya was back in training earlier than planned and even took part in the warm-up before Arsenal's recent friendly against Borussia Dortmund, despite not being included in the matchday squad. Winger Bukayo Saka also chose to return to the training ground over the weekend, joining Raya in getting a head start on his preparations.
"Some of them were back today, watching the game," Arteta said. "Bukayo and David were back yesterday, a bit earlier than expected which is great to see. A really good sign. Tomorrow everyone will be available to start their training programme."
Despite the fragmented nature of pre-season, with squad members at vastly different stages of physical readiness depending on their involvement at the World Cup, Arteta expressed confidence that his squad would be prepared for the start of the Premier League campaign, which is now less than two weeks away. He acknowledged that some players had done considerably more training than others over the summer, with a few having barely featured at the World Cup at all.
"We have very different groups within the same time that they are coming back," Arteta said. "Some of them have done more, some of them have done less, some of them almost didn't participate in the World Cup in terms of minutes. They are all at very different stages. I want to see as well the way they have looked after themselves. What they said they did and what they actually did and how they look, but I'm sure that will all be positive."
Arsenal will continue to manage their returning players carefully in the remaining days of pre-season as they build toward their Premier League opener.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.