Arsenal and the Netherlands have been hit with a huge injury blow regarding Jurrien Timber as he is unlikely to return before Euro 2024.
Timber tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal's Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest in August, and was ruled out for several months.
Despite the severity of the injury, there was hope that he may have been ready to return for the final part of the season.
However, an update from Dutch outlet AD has dashed those plans, and also Timber's hopes of representing his nation at the next summer's European Championships.
AD claims that it is unlikely he will return before the finals in Germany, and Arsenal will be without their £38m summer signing until next pre-season at the earliest.
The rather innocuous incident saw Timber's competitive debut cut short after just 49 minutes, as he went down off-the-ball clutching his right knee.
It was the first serious injury that Timber has suffered since turning pro with Ajax, as he was a near-ever-present in his final two-and-a-half years with the Dutch club.
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After featuring prominently in pre-season for Mikel Arteta, it appeared that Timber was set to be a regular in the Arsenal defence this season.
As well as featuring from the start in Arsenal's league opener, Timber was also in the starting XI for the Community Shield against Manchester City.
In his absence, there has been increased game time for Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu, while Oleksandr Zinchenko has often been the preferred choice at left-back.
Timber was still battling for a starting spot in Ronald Koeman's Netherlands team with the likes of Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt and Lutsharel Geertruida, and this setback could damage his prospects in the future.
The Dutch confirmed their spot at the Euros this week with a win over Ireland at the Johan Cruyff Arena, before thrashing Gibraltar 6-0 on Tuesday.
Timber will be watching on as Arsenal look to maintain a good start without their new signing when they return to action after November's international break against Brentford on Saturday.
