Arsenal news: Jurrien Timber was forced off in the first half as the defender went down in a clash against Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal star Jurrien Timber’s debut only last 49 minutes at the Emirates Stadium on the opening match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Dutch star went down in the first half after a challenge on Brennan Johnson that saw the Gunners defender receive a yellow card and plenty of treatment from the medical staff. The new signing wasn’t withdrawn at half-time, suggesting he was fit to continue, but that didn’t last long.
Timber went down under no contact in the first five minutes of the second half, grabbing his right leg with some real concern. The versatile defender had to be helped off the pitch and down the tunnel by the medics, while Takehiro Tomiyasu took his place from the substitutes’ bench.
It marks a far from ideal start for Mikel Arteta, who would have hoped he could rely on the £40million man, who joined from Ajax earlier this summer. His versatility and comfort on the ball have outlined him as a potentially important player this season for the head coach and his system, with aims of winning silverware.
Timber settled in nicely to the game, playing on the left alongside William Saliba and Ben White as Thomas Partey lined up at right-back, but pushed into midfield with the ball. It took them 25 minutes to open the scoring as Gabriel Martinelli’s pirouette saw the ball fall into the path of Eddie Nketiah, who struck home the opener.
That lead was then doubled when Bukayo Saka curled a rocket of a strike from outside the box into the top corner, taking the two-goal advantage into the break. The Gunners will be hopeful they can continue where they left off all the way to the final whistle, but the injury to Timber will be one of the big negatives to come from the game.