Huge Arsenal injury boost for 'special' star - could impact deal for £68m man

It appears that Arsenal have been handed a huge injury boost with an 'incredible' Gunners star set to return to first-team action sooner than expected. The news could put an end to transfer links with £68 million Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Lijgt.

Arsenal splashed out £38 million to bring Dutch star Jurrien Timber to the club from Ajax last summer with the player impressing over pre-season - he arrived in London with the backing of compatriot and Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk, who labelled the star a 'great player'. However, Timber's start to the Premier League season saw him last just 48 minutes against Nottingham Forest as he sustained a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The 22-year-old has not been in action since then with William Saliba and Gabriel filling the two centre-back roles. There was some thinking that Saliba may not play again this season but now Mail Sport claims that the defender could be match-ready before the end of the current campaign.

The outlet claims that Timber could be in contention to play in the second leg of the Champions League meeting with Portuguese giants Porto at the Emirates Stadium on March 12, should his recovery remain on track.

Before his side's meeting with Crystal Palace last weekend, Arteta had downplayed talk of an imminent return but teased that Timber's recovery was potentially moving quicker than planned. He said: “There is a possibility, but at the moment he’s still very far from competing. Are we hopeful that he could have a realistic impact before the end of the season? At the moment, it looks like that.”

Late last year, the Gunners boss had also heaped praise on Timber's work behind the scenes. He said: "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. If you talk to anyone in that building, everybody that gets close to him [will tell you] he’s a really special guy.

"We were really impressed when we signed him. Sometimes, when you see the player live in your environment playing and training, we went, 'Wow, we have an incredible player'. He’s had a big setback and a difficult moment to go through and he’s been really special in the way he has handled the situation, really special."

Arsenal had been linked with a transfer move for another centre-back this month with Timber's continued absence. However, if the player is set to return in mid-March, that could cool speculation. Arteta has already ruled out any marquee signings but there were rumours of a Gunners move for Bayern Munich man De Ligt.

The Dutchman has fallen out of favour under Thomas Tuchel and had been linked with a summer exit, although the German manager has claimed the club has no intentions of selling the star, who has struggled with injuries this term. De Ligt joined the Bundesliga giants in 2022 from Juventus for a fee of £68 million.

Outlets in the country still claim the 24-year-old is open to an exit in the near future, with Manchester United linked alongside Arsenal - although the London outfit's desire for a defender may be curbed by Timber's return.