Arteta provides Timber and Tomiyasu injury update after Arsenal beat Lyon

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta says he expects Jurrien Timber to return to training next week, but Takehiro Tomiyasu looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Gunners cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Lyon to lift the Emirates Cup this afternoon, with centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes both getting on the scoresheet in the first half.

However, their defensive colleagues, Timber and Tomiyasu, had to sit out the clash in the north London through injury, just a week out from the club’s opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign at home to Wolves.

Timber, who played just two games in his debut season in England last term, has been struggling with a foot problem, which meant he also missed Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.

Tomiyasu, meanwhile, picked up a knee injury at the start of pre-season and the Japan international will miss the first few matches of the new season.

Asked for an update on Timber after Arsenal’s defeat of Lyon, Arteta replied: ‘It is fine. He has been doing some individual work.

‘We expect him to be ready to train with the group next week.’

The Arsenal boss said Tomiyasu would have to be ‘patient’ while he works his way back to full fitness.

‘It will take weeks on that one, unfortunately,’ Arteta added.

‘He is going to have to be patient.’

Riccardo Calafiori

Calafiori came on for Arsenal in the second half 

Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori was handed his first minutes in an Arsenal shirt in the win over Lyon and Arteta ‘loved’ the reaction from the crowd when the Italian was brought on for Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 64th minute.

‘I love it when the fans and supporters react like that to one of our own,’ he said.

‘The way you feel it straight away it’s love. That’s an unbelievable platform.’

Arteta has been pleased with Arsenal’s development over the course of pre-season, with Leverkusen and Lyon both providing ‘really competitive’ tests for his team.

‘It was a really good test today again,’ the Spaniard continued.

‘Overall, it’s been a really positive season. I think the tour was a success and then the two games we’ve played here were really competitive.

‘The team was exceptional especially in the first half where we reached moments of the highest quality.’