Mikel Arteta has hailed the leadership qualities of defender Jurrien Timber and is "very excited" to have the fit-again Dutchman available for the start of the 2024/25 season.
Speaking in the United States ahead of Arsenal's opening match of their pre-season tour, against AFC Bournemouth on 25 July, manager Arteta praised Timber's attitude to his rehabilitation after a nightmare debut campaign.
Following his move from Ajax last summer, the Netherlands star suffered an ACL injury on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest in August, returning to action only in the final-day win over Everton.
"It is not easy to come to a big club like here and start to set expectations with his performances and then on day one in the Premier League you are out for the season," Arteta said on the club's official website. "But mentally he is a really tough boy.
"He is so willing, you can see that in his body language and the way he acts. He has worked so hard, I think he is in a really good place at the moment.
"We are going to have to manage him now in the next few weeks, especially because the load he has been able to do in the last few months compared to the next two weeks is very different, but we are very excited.
"He is a leader. He loves to be on show and a big presence in everything that we do. He is very vocal and extremely gifted technically. He is a great addition to the team."
Timber himself says he has studied successful athletes such as the late US basketball star Kobe Bryant as well as Dutch compatriot and F1 world champion Max Verstappen.
“Yeah, I like to look at winners,” Timber said. “In the NBA you see them a lot, but also you look at Max Verstappen, you see his interviews sometimes after races and you are like, ‘Wow, this guy is such a big winner,’ and I love to see that.”
Will EURO 2024 stars start season?
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, David Raya and William Saliba have not been included in Arsenal's squad, after their UEFA EURO 2024 involvement right through to the final. But Arteta expects them to be available when the Gunners host Wolverhampton Wanderers in their Premier League opener on 17 August.
Asked if they will miss the start of the season, Arteta replied: "I do not think so. Let’s see what condition they come back in. All of the messages I have got from them, they are really excited to come back and have a great season again. I do not expect anything else.
"There is a very well-thought-out plan of integration, but we cannot expect them to go from sunbeds to training at 100 miles per hour. They need to be able to get up to speed. When they come back we will be working closely with them to follow the rhythm of the rest of the boys."
Tierney and Tomiyasu injury blows
Defenders Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also absent from the 26-man squad that has flown to the US, after suffering injury setbacks.
Tierney sustained a hamstring injury during Scotland’s group-stage exit at the Euros, while Arteta has confirmed that Tomiyasu has stayed in London to undergo treatment on a knee issue.
"It is unbelievable, because the kid works so hard," Arteta said of Tomiyasu. "He had an incident in training this week and we don't know yet the extent of that injury, but as a precaution we kept him [in England]. We'll see what happens."
