Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has opened up about playing through significant pain towards the end of the 2024/25 season, revealing that manager Mikel Arteta was unaware of the true extent of his discomfort as the Gunners pushed for Champions League glory.
The 24-year-old Dutch international endured a tough first year at the Emirates after suffering an ACL injury on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest in August 2023, limiting him to just two appearances that season. However, Timber bounced back in 2024/25, making 48 appearances in all competitions and becoming a regular starter at right-back under Arteta.
He featured in 27 Premier League matches and started 10 of Arsenal’s 14 Champions League fixtures, playing a key role in the club’s run to the semi-finals. Yet, Timber was absent from the final four league games after undergoing ankle surgery in May, just before Arsenal’s season finale against Southampton.
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Speaking on Matchday, a talk show hosted by music group Broederliefde, Timber detailed how he played through a heel injury on the same foot as his ankle problem during the latter stages of the season. Despite the pain, he pushed on to support Arsenal’s European campaign.
Jurrien Timber injury
Jurrien Timber (Image credit: Getty Images)
“It got worse and worse. I had an Oranje scan, and the conclusion was that I had to undergo surgery at the end of the season,” Timber said, as reported byVoetbal International viaSport Witness. “I wanted to play at Arsenal, but it was hard. Sometimes the pain is much worse. I’ve been through how that feels now. I only trained one day before the match.”
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Recalling the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, Timber admitted he could barely run due to the pain in his heel but carried on through sheer adrenaline.
“I thought, ‘I have no idea how to finish this,’ because I couldn’t even run. But in the second half, I got adrenaline again, and in the 80th minute, it was time to get out,” he said. “I didn’t train all those weeks and was stressing for that second semi-final. It hurt so much. The manager thinks: ‘Jur has had a scan, it can’t get worse, make sure you’re ready’, but he doesn’t see how much pain I’m in.”
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