Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has returned to London from the club's pre-season training camp in Spain in connection with the groin injury that ended his last campaign early. The move is understood to be part of a planned rehabilitation schedule rather than a sign of a new setback, though it comes ahead of a crucial start to the season for the reigning Premier League champions, who need their first-choice right-back fit and firing.

Timber missed two months last season with an ankle injury before returning for the Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain, then suffered a groin problem that ruled him out of the Netherlands' World Cup campaign, which ended in a last-32 penalty shootout loss to Morocco. He made 30 Premier League appearances as Arsenal won the title last season, having joined from Ajax in July 2023 for an initial £34m, and is expected to rejoin the squad in Spain before Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on 16 August and begin their title defence against Coventry City on 21 August.