Arsenal have been dealt another defensive injury blow with Jurrien Timber set to undergo surgery on an ankle injury.
Timber was not included in the matcday squad for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle and was an unused substitute in the draw with Liverpool the weekend prior.
The Dutchman has been managing an injury issue in recent weeks and did not complete the full 90 minutes in either of the Champions League semi-final legs versus Paris Saint-Germain.
According to The Telegraph, the club have now decided that the defender will need surgery to correct the issue.
The 23-year-old will therefore miss Arsenal’s last fixture of the season against Southampton, while it remains unclear as to when he will return to full fitness.
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Timber’s injury is the latest defensive blow for Mikel Arteta who also saw William Saliba forced off at half-time against Newcastle with a hamstring issue.
Asked about the Frenchman’s injury at full-time, Arteta told Stadium Astro: ‘I think one of the last actions when he was tracking back he felt something in his hamstring so we will need to scan and see how he is.’
The Gunners are already without Gabriel and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who are long-term absentees with their respective injuries.
And with Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko set to leave the Emirates in the summer, Arsenal could well be forced to seek defensive reinforcements once the transfer window reopens.
Ajax defender Jorrel Hato has previously attracted interest from Arsenal as well as a host of other top clubs including Chelsea.
Arsenal have also been credited with interest in Roma’s Evan Ndicka and Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera.
The north London were said to be interested in Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen, but the Spaniard has now completed a £50million move to Real Madrid.
Speaking about the upcoming transfer window last weeknd, Arteta said: ‘We have to be very smart with the decisions that we take.’
‘Obviously we need players because the squad is really short, and on top of that, we are losing four or five players that end their contracts and their loans are finished.
‘So we need to be sharp, again very disciplined in what we want to do and make sure that we are strong in the season.’
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