Mikel Arteta says Jurrien Timber is making progress in his recovery from injury, though the manager is still unsure whether the Dutchman will feature again before the end of the season.
“There is a chance,” said Arteta on Thursday. “But how big that chance is I cannot tell you, being completely honest.
“He’s going to try to do everything he can to convert that chance as high as possible in the shortest possible period, and that’s the challenge ahead.”
Arsenal head into the final 16 days of the campaign still fighting on two fronts, but their defensive options have been stretched further by the injury Ben White suffered at West Ham on Sunday. The England international picked up an MCL issue that is expected to rule him out of this summer’s World Cup.
“We have to wait and see,” said Arteta on the seriousness.
“It looks like a long-term injury, so at the moment the focus is that, when can we have him back to be available for Arsenal, and that’s not going to happen in many, many weeks.”
It leaves the Gunners looking light at right-back for the run-in, with Cristhian Mosquera the most obvious option to step in against Burnley and Crystal Palace. While the 21-year-old has adapted impressively to English football in his debut season, he is naturally a centre-back and brings a different profile to the role than White or Timber.
“We need to look at alternatives to the two players \[White and Timber\] that we have \[at right-back\]. They are not available at the moment, so we need to look and do something else.
“The good thing is that we have experienced that all over the pitch this season, because when we had issues, normally they’ve been in the same positions as well, and we have managed to find still the right level of performance and consistency, so I’m sure we will do that.”
He added: “There are different options in relation to the opponent as well, and the things we want to do with certain players, but we need to be open to that, not only to one but to two or three options, because games can vary, players can pick an injury, we need to be flexible on that and really think about that option.”
Timber will be desperate to make the Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May, but it’s looking like a race against time to prove he’s fit enough to take on a Paris Saint-Germain attack known for its attacking flair down the flanks. He did at least take part in a post-game warm-down with those who featured at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Explaining that decision, Arteta said: “He wanted to be very close to the team, he’s progressed a little bit in the last few days, he’s feeling better, we’re going to try to get him fit and available as quickly as possible, but let’s see.
“Obviously, he’s been out now for a while. Unfortunately, he’s such an important player for us, we all know that, and he’s doing everything that he possibly can to help the team in any capacity, and we know his leadership, his quality and how much the team needs him, and he’s trying everything that he can.”
Riccardo Calafiori is also a doubt for Monday’s final home game of the season after being substituted at the London Stadium. Arteta did not go into detail on the Italian’s latest setback but said he hopes it is “nothing serious”.
While Piero Hincapie and Myles Lewis-Skelly are both capable of filling in at left-back if needed, when it was put to Arteta that Calafiori could, if fit, be an option on the right, a position he has been used before, the manager urged caution.
“I think the sample is so tiny, so it’s very difficult to judge a player when he has had some low minutes. Declan Rice, when he’s played as a full-back against Brighton, he was exceptional, but then the other night it was something else.
“The sample is still so little, it will remain so little from here to the end of the season to judge whether that player is good enough or can perform in the position, and what is the cost of moving that player from one position to the other, and that’s the balance that we need to try to find.”