Mikel Arteta says his decision to play Jurrien Timber at centre-back against Manchester United was to maintain Benjamin White s chemistry on the right.
Timber showed lots of promise in pre-season last summer after completing a £34million transfer from Ajax.
However, he tore his ACL on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest.
The Dutch international did not return for until the last day of the season, coming off the bench in the 2-1 win over Everton.
Timber did not earn a place in Ronald Koeman s Netherlands squad for Euro 2024 after missing the entirety of 2023/24 but is back to full fitness and again shining in pre-season for the Gunners.
His versatility has been on show this summer, with Arteta playing him in centre-back next to yo…