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Arteta seriously impressed by what Jurrien Timber did in his first minutes last night
Mikel Arteta is confident that Jurrien Timber is going to be a really important player for Arsenal after Gunners fans got their first glimpse of the youngster in action for the club in their latest pre-season friendly.
Arteta was speaking – in comments reported by – after Arsenal beat MLS All-Stars 5-0 overnight. Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard scored before the break. Meanwhile, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz added to the scoring after the break.
But there was also a first appearance in an Arsenal shirt for Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman replaced William Saliba with 25 minutes remaining.
Arteta praises Timber after Arsenal bow
What was striking was how similar Timber played to the way Oleksandr Zinchenko was used last season. The 22-year-old was often seen in the middle of the park.
It certainly highlights exactly why Arsenal brought Timber to the Emirates this summer. And after the game, Arteta issued his verdict on the youngster’s display in the emphatic win.
“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 said, as reported by .
“He’s so comfortable on the ball in that phase. As well he’s got that aggression in the duels and that dynamism which I really like. You saw with his first action, high press won the ball straight away, won the duel and was ready to go. He is going to be a really important player for us.”
Of course, tougher tests lie ahead. But it is always encouraging when fans can see exactly what their manager is trying to do in pre-season.
And it is pretty clear what kind of role Timber is expected to have in the coming season. He will give Arsenal the opportunity to play an inverted full-back on both sides of the pitch.
That is going to make the side much harder to defend against. At least previously, teams largely knew that it was going to be Zinchenko pushing into the middle.
There are no such assurances with Timber in the side. And clearly, the early signs suggest that it is a role that he is ready to play.