Mikel Arteta is worried about the injury Jurrien Timber sustained (Image: GETTY)
Arsenal's Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that Jurrien Timber has seen more action than he would have preferred after the defender encountered a potential muscle issue.
During Arsenal's Champions League triumph over PSG on Tuesday night, Timber had to be substituted at half-time due to concerns he might have sustained an injury.
Having been injured in his debut at the start of last season, Timber missed the entire campaign, prompting Arteta to carefully manage his playing time upon his return.
Despite efforts to ease him back, Timber has been a regular feature in the team. Arteta expressed his caution, noting: "He was unbelievable in the first half but he felt something muscular and he wasn't certain.
Jurrien Timber didn't finish Arsenal's win over PSG (Image: GETTY)
"He's played more minutes than we would have wanted in the past few weeks and we have to manage him."
With Arsenal boasting one of Europe's most formidable defences and the addition of Riccardo Calafiori in the summer, there is now an opportunity to give Timber a break. The new depth allows Arteta to rotate his squad, particularly as the Gunners compete across multiple fronts.
A bright spot for Arteta vs PSG was the introduction of Mikel Merino, who has overcome his own injury setbacks since his transfer from Real Sociedad. After impressing at the Euros, Merino made his long-awaited Arsenal debut coming off the bench.
Merino, formerly of Newcastle, came on for the last 30 minutes for Arsenal, and will bolster their midfield options as the Londoners seek to reclaim their status as a trophy-collecting powerhouse.
Mikel Merino came off the bench to make his debut (Image: GETTY)
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Arteta said of Merino: "Really good, because he joined us and first session he got injured. He had only one session with us, he was ready, he was really willing to be part of this today.
"And obviously with the injuries and changes we had to make, we believe that he was the player that could help us in that phase. I think he's done really well."
Arsenal are set to face Southampton before players depart for international duties. The squad's depth will be put to the test after the break, with a demanding schedule of six games in just 18 days looming.
