Arteta confirms double Arsenal injury blow | OneFootball

Dutch defender Jurrien Timber has undergone ankle surgery and France international William Saliba has suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out of action for at least a few weeks.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been badly hit by injuries this season and their bad luck has continued with just one game to go, away to relegated Southampton.

Full-back Timber missed their most recent victory over Newcastle United, a match in which Saliba was withdrawn at half time.

Arteta, speaking to Premier League World TV, confirmed:  “William is going to be out for a few weeks, unfortunately. He pulled his hamstring against Newcastle, so he’s going to be out for a few weeks.

“Jurrien had surgery yesterday (Tuesday) on his ankle, so he’ll be out for a few weeks as well.”

The Newcastle victory marked Saliba’s 100th Premier League appearance. No Arsenal player has won more matches in their first 100 league matches for the club than the Frenchman, who claimed 68 victories in that time.

He has played in 51 of their 57 matches in all competitions this season and has been nominated for the Premier League Young Player of the Season award.

Arteta added: “We’ve seen his progression, his development, and the standard that he’s hitting at the moment.

“When you talk about those numbers, it’s incredible. He’s so much to learn and improve, so we have a player there for many, many years.”

Timber has also been reliable having played 48 times after bouncing back from a frustrating first season when he sat out nine months with a knee injury.

“With Jurrien, you understand that he was coming back from an ACL one year out, and to have this season after an ACL, it’s incredible,” Arteta said. “We didn’t sign a player, we signed a leader, a very, very special character.”