Arsenal fans are likely not to see Jurrien Timber again this season.
The Dutch defender is one of those players that became a cult hero even before he played a competitive game for his new club.
A 38m signing from Ajax this summer, Timber did not last up to 50 minutes of the Gunners’ opening Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest.
There was initial optimism about the severity of his injury, especially as he was able to walk off the pitch without much pain.
But a few days later, an official Arsenal statement broke many hearts.
“Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien Timber has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
“Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time,” it read.
Babatunde Elliot, who is both a medical doctor and a football agent based in the UK, gives a better insight.
“An ACL is a rupture to one of the ligaments in the knee. The anterior is the ligament that stops your knee from going forward without control. It is one of the strongest ligaments in the knee,” Elliot tells DAILY POST.
It is not just Timber.
Aston Villa playmaker, Emu Buendia is expected to miss most of the season with a significant knee problem — reportedly an ACL injury, which he sustained in training ahead of the first round of Premier League fixtures.
In Spain, Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois and centre back Éder Militão sustained ACL injuries in the last two weeks.
Villa centre-back, Tyrone Mings (knee) and Manchester City midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring) have also picked up injuries in the first round of league games that will keep them out long term.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, noted that there were “big worries” about the crazy football schedule.
Last season, for example, a World Cup was placed in the middle of most European seasons.
“In the past you can say, ‘Yes there have been games, there have been tours as well,’ but with games, tours, the World Cup in December, plus this, plus that, plus internationals, it is a lot.
“It is too much for the players.
“It is incredibly demanding. When you see the next 36 months of the calendar for these players, it is just better not to look at it because it is incredible what they are going to be doing,” Arteta said.
Elliot agrees with the Gunners’ boss.
“Who is to blame? Some people will say it’s bad luck. But personally, I would say it is the number of games the players are made to play. It is too much. They don’t rest.
“However, FIFA and other authorities might argue that playing too much only puts you at risk of muscular injuries. So, it is a bit here and there,” he said.
But, according to Elliot, there is no one way to avoid ACL injuries despite the steady improvements in sports science.
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“Sports science has improved so much in the last five years. So these guys work specifically with individual players to the last detail. I think they are doing a great job.
“But ACL injuries are innocuous. You could just jar your knee the wrong way and it’s gone. For example, look at Jurrien Timber. The same thing with Tyrone Mings. They are just weird injuries to get,” he added.
