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Arsenal U21 coach Mehmet Ali has shared his opinion on Dutch starlet Jurrien Timber's return from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
The centre-back suffered the injury on the first day of the season against Nottingham Forest. In the 50th minute, he made a challenge on winger Brennan Johnson, but ruptured his ACL in the process.
He has been pictured in training since the Gunners' Dubai training camp in January, and has been working on his rehabilitation and conditioning ever since. All of that culminated in his return in a recent Arsenal U21 game against Blackburn Rovers.
Remarkably, Timber marked his return in stunning fashion, netting an impeccable goal from the edge of the box in the eighth minute of the game. He has seemingly impressed Ali very much, with the Turk lavishing praise on his unwavering commitment and promising attitude.
Speaking to Arsenal's official website after the game, he said:
"It’s been great having him and the lads gave him a round of applause in our pre-match meeting. It’s never easy to be a professional footballer and suffer the injury that he had and miss a lot of football. He’s come into a new country and it’s been difficult for him but since his return, he’s been excellent."
Talking about his great performance in the game, Ali added:
"He’s been a real good role model for the younger players and his performance showed that this evening. He scored a very good goal showing tremendous ability to execute that finish. His decision-making and his whole performance for 45 minutes was very strong and the players will learn a lot through watching him.”
WATCH: Jurrien Timber's wondergoal for Arsenal U21 against Blackburn Rovers U21
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber marked his return to football after a long-term ACL injury with a thunderous strike into the roof of the net.
He featured in the starting XI for Mehmet Ali's Arsenal U21 against Blackburn Rovers U21. It was his first game since suffering the horrendous knee injury on the first day of the Premier League season against Nottingham Forest.
He started as a left-back instead of his usual role as a centre-back, but didn't take long to get into the thick of things.
In the eighth minute of the game, right-back Joshua Nichols played the ball through to Timber on the left flank. He showcased incredible ball control to chop the ball back towards the edge of the box, before unleashing a rocket into the top right corner.
Timber was unsurprisingly subbed off at half-time, with a first-team return on the horizon before the end of the season. His wondergoal, however, was not enough to get his side the win, as they got held to a 2-2 draw by their spirited opposition.
Arsenal first team manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his appreciation for Timber's rehab progress and work ethic. Gunners fans will be hoping that the Dutchman makes his long-awaited first-team return soon as they enter a crucial period of fixtures in the race to the Premier League title.
