Leeds United’s weekend opponents Arsenal have a fresh fitness concern to manage with Jurrien Timber sitting out the Netherlands’ win over Serbia on Sunday.
Timber has endured a disrupted start to the campaign having not featured in any of Arsenal’s pre-season friendlies. The defender played just two Premier League games before joining up with his Netherlands teammates for the current international break.
After a brief substitute’s appearance against Serbia and a start against Greece, Timber dropped back to the bench on Sunday when his nation faced Serbia again, this time at home. The Gunners star was not introduced during the 2-1 win.
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber missed international duty on Sunday. (Nick Potts/PA)placeholder image
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber missed international duty on Sunday. (Nick Potts/PA)
Speaking ahead of that game, Timber revealed to reporters he is yet to reach full fitness. The Dutchman also admitted concern over suffering a potential injury setback if he is rushed back.
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“I have to be very smart about the steps we take,” Timber said, as quoted by The Metro. “Otherwise, I’ll suffer a setback, and I don’t want that.
“I want to play every game and take part in every training session. However, the physios advise me on what is best for me. So, I need to listen to them carefully.”
With the Netherlands now finished for this international break, Timber will return to London where he’ll have a week to recover. Leeds head to Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been boosted in the defensive area, with three recent injury absences spotted in a recent training video. Former Leeds loanee Ben White, Piero Hincapie and Yerson Mosquera could all be available this weekend.
Declan Rice, meanwhile, withdrew from England duties at the start of the international break although it’s unclear whether that was due to injury or load management. He did play the full 90 minutes in his side’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton in Arsenal’s last game.