Jurrien Timber | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Jurrien Timber after the Arsenal defender was left out of the squad for Tuesday’s 4-2 League Cup victory over Ipswich Town.

Timber’s absence raised concerns among Arsenal supporters given his recent return from a lengthy injury lay-off.

However, Arteta quickly dismissed fears of a fresh setback and explained that the Netherlands international was simply being carefully managed following his return to action.

Asked about Timber after the victory, Arteta said (via The Mirror):

“No, everything is fine. He has played much more than we wanted. The other day he had 53 minutes after five months out. We need to look after him.”

Jurrien Timber being carefully managed after injury return

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Timber only returned to first-team football last weekend against Sunderland, playing 53 minutes after spending five months on the sidelines following groin surgery.

Given the length of his absence, Arsenal have adopted a cautious approach to his workload rather than immediately asking him to play consecutive matches.

His omission against Ipswich was therefore designed to prevent the 25-year-old from being overloaded during the early stages of his comeback.

Arteta’s explanation confirms that Timber’s absence was not caused by another injury and that Arsenal are instead focused on managing his recovery carefully.

Jurrien Timber expected to be back against Brighton

The decision to rest Timber could pave the way for the defender to return when Arsenal travel to face Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

His availability could be particularly important with Ben White also dealing with a groin issue while Piero Hincapie is also a doubt.

Arsenal will be keen to avoid another setback for Timber after finally seeing the versatile defender return following five months out.

The Gunners have won all four of their Premier League games so far, making the perfect start to their title defence.

And from what we have seen so far, they look like a team that will not be beaten easily.