Why Jurrien Timber left Arsenal’s pre-season camp this week

Why Jurrien Timber left Arsenal’s pre-season camp this week Jurrien Timber briefly left Arsenal’s pre-season training camp in Spain earlier this week, but talk of a setback has been played down. Photo via Arsenal on Twitter Earlier this week, Sami Mokbel reported for the BBC that Jurrien Timber had left Arsenal’s training camp in Spain to travel back to London, in a move that was related to his recent groin injury. Mokbel wrote that sources insisted the visit was part of his rehabilitation schedule, and not due to a setback, adding that Timber was expected to return to Spain and rejoin the squad later in the week. Sam Blitz added for Sky Sports News that Timber was set to return to Girona and rejoin the Arsenal squad on Wednesday, so it was really a very quick trip back to the UK. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images Matt Verri recently reported for The Standard that Timber had minor surgery on a groin issue this summer, but that it is hoped he’ll play some part in pre-season. For the time being, Timber is clearly just looking to be around the Arsenal squad. He’s not yet able to take part in group training sessions, but he’s doing individual work in the gym. Timber was initially called up for the summer World Cup by the Netherlands, but he ended up withdrawing from the tournament at the last minute. A statement from the national team said: “The 24-year-old defender has not recovered sufficiently from a groin injury to take part in the World Cup in a medically responsible manner.” Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Timber played 44 times for Arsenal in 2025/26, but almost all of those appearances were before mid-March. The defender missed the entire Premier League run-in, the League Cup final, the FA Cup quarter-final elimination, and five Champions League knockout games. Hopefully, this surgery and the subsequent assessments back in London will all prove positive and Timber will be back out on the pitch playing football before the new Premier League season gets underway later this month. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images