Arsenal have suffered a major blow at the start of the new season with the loss of new Dutchman Jurien Timber to the efforts of a serious knee injury sustained during the first leg of the English Premier League. The 22-year-old injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest in the first round of the league on Saturday.

“Urian will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be sidelined for some time,” the London club said in a statement, adding that everyone at the club’s efforts “will now focus on Urian’s rehabilitation program to ensure his recovery so he can return to play as soon as possible.” Timber joined Arsenal this summer from Ajax for €40 million, plus five million euros in bonuses.

Timber won two Dutch league titles with Ajax (2021, 2022) and was a key player in four of five matches for the Dutch national team, which was eliminated by Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Timber was among a number of signings this summer as Arsenal look to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004, after finishing runners-up to Manchester City last season. Spain coach Mikel Arteta’s side signed German Kai Hayward from Chelsea for 65 million pounds and Declan Rice from West Ham for 5 million plus 100 million pounds ($130.9 million), making them the most expensive English player in history. .