The latest Arsenal injury news ahead of the Gunners’ clash against Manchester United as Jurrien Timber eyes a return
Mikel Arteta only has a few more days on the training pitches at London Colney before Arsenal return to action. Manchester United will welcome the Gunners to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon as the Premier League title race builds a head of steam.
Arsenal will be determined to pick up from where they left off at the weekend after enjoying a 3-0 win over Bournemouth. The north Londoners stormed past Andoni Iraola’s side at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, defending their place at the top of the table.
As for the Red Devils, they suffered a miserable defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst park on Monday evening so Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly demand a reaction from his players. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at all the latest Arsenal injury news.
Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the opening weekend of the Premier League season against Nottingham Forest, missing a large chunk of the season. The 22-year-old defender has recently returned to action, regularly featuring for under-21s.
He helped the young Gunners secure a 2-0 win over Liverpool at the end of last month as he steps up his rehabilitation. After nearly nine months on the sidelines, Timber could finally make his first-team return against United – though a start would be unlikely.
Injury: Knee.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the north London derby, Arteta said: “Yes, everybody is fit and available so now it’s the headache to make the right selection. We won’t know that until we throw him [Timber] in there. It’s tricky because there are only three games to go and he has missed eight months of football.
“He’s played only 115 minutes of football with the Under-21s, it’s a question that can only be resolved by throwing him on the pitch and we will see what happens, we have to try to nail that decision when [we take it].”
Potential return date: Manchester United (A) – Sunday, May 12.
Bukayo Saka
After only a quarter of an hour into the Bournemouth clash, Saka was on the end of a brutal pair of tackles from Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie. The Gunners ace received some treatment on a horrible cut to his shin before soldering on.
Injury: Cut on his leg.
What Arteta has said: “The one on Bukayo, is it on purpose or not? I don’t know so difficult for me to judge.”
Potential return date: Manchester United (A) – Sunday, May 12.
Reiss Nelson
Nelson was absent from the matchday squad that faced both Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth. It remains to be seen exactly why the 24-year-old winger was left out despite regularly appearing in first-team training.
He’s done well to steer clear of the treatment room this term after missing a few months last season due to a thigh issue. Between December 2022 and February 2023, Nelson missed nine games for Arsenal.
Injury: Unknown.
Speaking to reporters at the start of April, Arteta said: “Look at the example of Reiss. His best moment for Arsenal, it’s a moment where he played a few minutes and made a huge impact and it’s one of the best days in his life as an Arsenal player.
“Nobody remembers if he started or if it was off the bench. There are a lot of examples in world sport where players made the impact. Sometimes you just need a second to change the history of a football club. You don’t need 100 minutes to play football.”
Then, this month, Arteta said: “Yes, everybody is fit and available so now it’s the headache to make the right selection.”
Potential return date: Manchester United (A) – Sunday, May 12.
