Pundit says one Arsenal star was ‘on fire’ in pre-season but he hasn’t played yet this year

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David Hillier has claimed that Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber was ‘on fire’ in pre-season.

The Dutch international hasn’t played a game since August last year due to injury. He is working hard to be back fit, but it looks like it’s going to take some more time before he’s available for Arsenal.

David Hillier says Arsenal star Jurrien Timber was ‘on fire’ in pre-season

Arsenal signed Jurrien Timber from Ajax last summer in a deal worth £38 million (Sky Sports).

The Dutch international was a really exciting signing. Yes, he didn’t make as much noise as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, but everyone knew he was a quality addition.

Timber was given plenty of opportunities at Arsenal in pre-season. He played in both full-back positions and was absolutely magnificent for the Gunners. He was one of Mikel Arteta‘s stars in the Community Shield win over Manchester City as well.

Sadly for Timber, he suffered an ACL injury in the opening game of the season in August and has been out of action since.

David Hillier, who played over 100 games for Arsenal, has now claimed that he would’ve liked to see how Timber would’ve fared in the last few games.

He said on The Highbury Squad: “If Jurrien Timber was fit, I would’ve liked to have seen what he would’ve been like now. When I saw him in pre-season, he was on fire. He had pace, power, touch… Good defender.

“He made the right decisions on when to step into the midfield and when to play forward. He knew defending was his first job. That was the thing he had to do first before he was allowed to go and enjoy himself. You’ve got to defend first. And he was strong, fast.”

Jurrien Timber will be like a new signing for Arsenal

One of the biggest reasons why Arsenal lost the Premier League title last season was because they lost William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu to serious injuries on the same night.

This season, Arsenal are expected to have quite a few injured players back just as they are about to enter the business end of the season in the Premier League and Champions League.

Timber, who hasn’t played all year, would be a really exciting player to have available. He can play across the back line and in midfield, is great on the ball, fantastic without it and is just a complete player.

Arsenal fans haven’t had a proper look at Timber yet, so he would really be like a brand-new signing once he returns from his injury.