Mikel Arteta may have found a new Zinchenko as Arsenal thrash MLS All-Stars 5-0

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Arsenal have just beaten the MLS All-Stars 5-0 in Washington DC, and substitute Jurrien Timber caught everyone’s eye with a brilliant cameo.

Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz sealed it for Mikel Arteta’s side, who were extremely comfortable for most parts of the game.

All eyes were on Declan Rice when he came on in the second half, but Timber’s performance for Arsenal was arguably a lot more impressive.

Jurrien Timber shines as Arsenal beat MLS All-Stars 5-0

Arsenal went into the transfer window in search of a versatile defender after their struggles following Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba’s injuries last season.

Arteta wanted someone like Ben White, who could fill in at both centre-half and right-back, and Jurrien Timber at Ajax was quickly identified as a key target for Arsenal.

After a couple of weeks of negotiations between the two sides, Arsenal finally sealed the deal for £34 million (BBC) last Friday, and Gunners fans really like what they see.

Timber came on against the MLS All-Stars as a substitute in the second half in place of William Saliba. White took the Frenchman’s place in central defence, leaving the right-back slot for the 22-year-old.

Timber looked incredible in that position. He was calm on the ball, very clever with his runs forward and he had absolutely no fear driving with the ball.

He reminded us of another adventurous full-back at Arsenal – Oleksandr Zinchenko!

The new Oleksandr Zinchenko

Zinchenko was one of Arsenal’s best players last season.

Even though he starts the game at left-back, he’s always seen cutting inside and playing as a central midfielder while in possession, thus allowing the Gunners’ left-sided number eight to push forward – Granit Xhaka did that very well last season.

Timber played a very similar role on the right side against the MLS All-Stars. The Dutchman showed no fear charging forward from the central areas and he was even spotted in a number 10 position on a couple of occasions.

Arsenal have a tremendous player in Timber, and he could go on to have a similar impact as Zinchenko for the Gunners next season and in the years to come.