“Had to stand up from my couch and start applauding” - Arsenal fans dub summer signing as an ‘absolute steal’ for his outstanding debut

Arsenal fans on social media were full of praise for the club's new signing Jurrien Timber after their 5-0 win over MLS All-Stars in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday, July 19.

The Gunners were excellent in their second pre-season game after their 1-1 draw against Nurnberg. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute before Leandro Trossard doubled the lead in the 23rd minute.

Jorginho scored via a penalty in the 47th minute and Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz added one each in the 84th and the 89th minute, respectively.

Arsenal fans were pleased with Jurrien Timber's performance in his debut for the club. The Gunners signed the Dutch defender from Ajax for around €45 million.

He came on as a substitute to replace William Saliba in the 64th minute against the MLS All-Stars. He won all three of his duels, completed 19 of his 20 passes and one tackle, and one interception.

Fans on Twitter reacted to Timber's performance as one wrote:

"I had to stand up from my couch and start applauding. He’s incredible."

Here are some more reactions from Arsenal fans to Jurrien Timber's debut performance against MLS All-Stars:

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Jurrien Timber's debut against MLS All-Stars

Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Jurrien Timber after his Arsenal debut against MLS All-Stars in their pre-season friendly on July 19.

The Spaniard spoke about the Dutchman's versatility, aggression, and ability on the ball. He also reckons that Timber could become an important player for the club.

Arteta told the club's media:

"I think you’ve seen tonight that he’s a really versatile player, you can see him defend in those positions. He gives you the capacity to invert, to occupy different spaces.

"He’s so comfortable on the ball in that phase and he’s also got this aggression in the duels and that dynamism that I really like about him."

He added:

"You saw from the first action; he went and won the ball straight away on that duel and he was ready to go.

"He’s been like that in the last few days – he’s playing really well with the team, and I think he’s going to be a really important player for us."

Before joining Arsenal, Timber impressed with Ajax and the Netherlands.

Playing as a centre-back or a right-back, he made 121 appearances for the Dutch club, registering six goals and four assists. He also earned 15 caps for the Netherlands.