Arsenal are confident long-term injury absentee Jurrien Timber will feature for Mikel Arteta's Premier League table toppers following the international break.

The Dutch defender is set to make his return after the international break - following a long road back to first team action. 

The 22-year-old signed from Ajax last summer but injured his knee in the opening Premier League match of the season - and is now poised to make a huge impact during the Gunners run-in on two fronts. 

The story so far

Timber, 22, was withdrawn after 50 minutes of the Gunners 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates back in August, with the club revealing he had suffered a tear in his ACL - with the highly-regarded Dutch defender since missing the entire season so far.

However the talented defender has been working hard during his recovery - and is set to give Arteta's silverware chasing side a huge boost by being fit for selection ahead of the crucial clash vs Manchester City. 

While the eagerly-awaited fixture at the Etihad on Sunday, March 31 may be too intense to see the former Ajax star appear in Arteta's starting XI after eight months out of action - Timber is keenly poised to make a long-awaited impact with the first team squad.

Timber's recall will hand Arsenal a major fillip during what will be a crowded April schedule, with the Netherlands star set to make his long-awaited reappearance in Arsenal colours during the Premier League clash against Luton Town at the Emirates on Wednesday, April 3. 

Timber impresses on arrival

The Gooner was in attendance at Audi Field, Washington DC last summer to see the emergence of Timber - whose cameo appearance on Thursday, July 20, against Wayne Rooney's MLS All Stars ended in a comprehensive 5-0 victory in the American capital. 

Forty-eight hours later and 300 miles on, during a baking afternoon in New Jersey at the MetLife Arena in East Rutherford, The Gooner witnessed the impressive Timber reasurringly fitting into the mold of the type of player Arteta craves. 

Despite the 2-0 loss against Manchester United in front of a sellout 82,500 at the stadium that will host the 2026 World Cup final, Timber excelled.

Not least through an excellent technique that was reared at the famed Ajax academy, while showing his positional awarenss to duck into midfielder from left-back to bolster colleagues further forward.

While his tenacity was underlined by a ferocious challenge on United's Jadon Sancho, that, despite heatwave temperatures in Soprano's country in NJ, was warmly welcomed by the tens of thousands of Stateside and travelling Gooners. 

Back on the other side of the Atlantic, Timber then appeared against Monaco at the Emirates Cup on Wednesday, August 2, before another superb performance the following weekend, when the Gunners eclipsed Pep Guardiola's treble-winning Manchester City to claim the 2023 Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 6.

It was clear to everyone watching that Arsenal had a genuine defensive talent in their midst - and at only £34m plus £4m add-ons for the Netherlands full-back. 

And then, as we all know, injury struck.

The Long Road to Recovery

It's been a long road back to recovery but the Gooner understands that Timber's attitude has been exemplarly throughout his rehabilitiation.

Timber has earned plaudits behind the scenes while he pushed himself during those dark days away from the first team squad of the club he had only joined last summer - prior to returning to full training last month.

Perfect timing for Arsenal's run in as they attempt an unlikely double in what could be a momentous spring. 

How Timber will boost silverware chasing Arsenal

The exceptional Timber can play as a right-back, centre-back and left-back. He can ease into midfield, but as a more athletic Oleksandr Zinchenko - or he can simply underline his defensive qualities in a flat back four, a five, as an attacking wing-back or a more traditional full-back. 

No wonder Arsenal boss Arteta is excited at the return of such riches at his disposal - and at such a crucial time of the season no less. 

Not least because Timber's return adds to a squad, which, this time last year, damagingly lost William Saliba.

A year on, the squad is about to boast a startling new addition that can only help fuel its chances of glory. 

Excited at the return of Timber? You'd better be