Arsenal dealt huge injury blow ahead of Man Utd Premier League clash next month

Arsenal have confirmed summer signing Jurrien Timber has sustained an injury to his right knee after he was forced off during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

There are fears the player, who joined for a fee in the region of £38m last month, could miss the next number of months.

The Gunners welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 3 in a 4.30pm kick off and it is likely the left-back will miss the clash between the rivals.

A club statement confirmed: “Further to his substitution during our match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Jurrien Timber has received extensive assessments and scans which have confirmed he has sustained an injury to his right knee.

“Jurrien will undergo a further detailed assessment and review with a consultant in the coming days to assess the full extent of the injury, in order to determine the next steps. A further update will be provided in due course. Everyone at the club will be focused on supporting Jurrien at this time.”

Arsenal do have other options at left-back with Takehiro Tomiyasu replacing Timber against Forest while Oleksandr Zinchenko missed the club’s Premier League opener but is expected to return for Monday’s meeting with Crystal Palace.

The Gunners finished nine points ahead of United last term but both clubs have started their 2023-24 campaigns with a victory. United claimed a narrow win over Wolves on Monday night and face Tottenham Hotspur in their next game this weekend.

A home clash with Nottingham Forest follows before they head to Arsenal for their fourth outing of the new season.

Reflecting on their win over Wolves, United boss Erik ten Hag reflected: “It was a tough game. I think we can do much better on the ball. We proved that last season and also in pre-season but the pre-season is not the season and when the league starts opponents are more aggressive.

“Our decision-making could have been better and were not aggressive enough from that point of view, but there are a lot of positives to take. We fought for our lives and we survived with three points so well done.”