Having had to sit out for the majority of last season after signing for us, Jurrien Timber is loving every minute of his involvement in the team since recovering from injury.
The Dutchman has made seven appearances so far in 2024/25, featuring in six Premier League matches and our Champions League opener as he makes up for lost time.
“It helped a lot being comfortable with the team, me getting to know them and them getting to know me,” he explained in his pre-PSG press conference. “I just wanted to stay involved, I was looking at them from a distance, it was amazing to see them and I wanted to be a part of that. Now I’m part of it and I’m really grateful.”
New signing Mikel Merino found himself in a similar situation this summer, but his injury is not expected to be as long-term.
“He’s doing really well,” Timber said. “He’s a great character in the group and, like I was last year, he’s trying to do the same thing, being around the group, so I don’t really need to help him with that because he’s doing it himself in a perfect way.
“We can’t wait to have him in the squad to play with us.”
Timber is no stranger to the Champions League, having notched up 15 appearances in the competition with Ajax from 2020/21 to 2022/23.
He doesn’t feel he has to share those experiences though, given that all of our team have played in plenty of big games.
“A lot of players have played a lot of big games,” he said. “Of course the Champions League is a bit different but I don’t need to tell other players how to play or how to prepare for big games. Obviously we need to play with a lot of courage and be who we are.
“I haven’t played against PSG but they’re a really good team, really well coached and they have so many world class players. We just have to be prepared and focus on ourselves. I’m just enjoying it right now because I couldn’t play last year.”
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