WHEN Arsenal signed Jurrien Timber last summer, the plan was for him to play at right-back.
The club was wary about the workload on Ben White and the belief was Timber would provide competition and cover.
Timber also offered something different in that he could tuck into midfield, just like Oleksandr Zinchenko does from the other flank.
But fast forward a year and it is Zinchenko and not White who Timber has ousted from the team.
The 23-year-old Dutchman has started the past three games at left-back and on Sunday completed 90 minutes for the first time in an Arsenal shirt in their 1-0 win at Tottenham.
Timber was part of a brilliant defensive performance and, after a year out with a knee injury, his display underlined how big a miss he was last season.
He made a combined total of four tackles and interceptions during the derby, with Thomas Partey the only Arsenal player to beat that.
Timber is primed to start Sunday’s showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad and is showing why Arsenal paid Ajax £38.5million to sign him.
This story is from the September 17, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the September 17, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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