'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jurrien Timber marked his return from an ACL injury with a screamer in Arsenal's U21s clash with Blackburn Rovers' U21s tonight (April 22).
The Dutch defender has missed eight months of action due to an ACL injury he picked up on the opening day of the season. He joined the Gunners from Ajax last summer in a £38 million deal.
Timber has long been waiting to get back onto the pitch and he did so for Arsenal's youth side tonight at Ewood Park. He took just nine minutes to open the scoring with an audacious effort that flew into the top right corner.
You can watch the 22-year-old's terrific strike below:
Gunners fans will hope to see Timber return to the first team before the season concludes. They are still amid a three-horse title race with Liverpool and Manchester City and could do with all of their troops being available.
The Dutchman can play at right-back, in central defense, and in midfield. His versatility could help Mikel Arteta as he looks to end the north Londoners' 20-year wait for Premier League glory.
Arteta touched on this during Timber's first pre-season with Arsenal (via The Athletic):
"He’s a really versatile player. We can use him in different positions within those positions. He gives you the capacity to invert and occupy different spaces. He’s so comfortable on the ball in that phase."
The centre-back could make his second Premier League appearance of the season soon. He'll almost certainly miss tomorrow's clash with Chelsea but could be an option for the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (April 28).
Timber hailed the maturity of Arsenal's youthful squad
Timber joined an Arsenal squad that boasts several young superstars. Bukayo Saka, 22, Gabriel Martinelli, 22, and William Saliba, 23, are just three of Arteta's young guns.
The Gunners have produced stellar performances throughout the season and have gone toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Liverpool. It's a squad that their Dutch defender is excited to be around and see in action (via Gunners.com):
"It’s nice that we have some young players. That made it easier for me to come in, but I have to say that although this group is young, when they are on the pitch you don’t notice it. When I watch us play, I forget how young they are because they look like they’ve played here for 10 years."
The north Londoners now have UEFA Champions League experience under their belt. They performed admirably given their unfamiliarity with the competition, making it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. They crashed out in the quarterfinals after suffering a 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich on aggregate.
