Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori will miss Arsenal’s Emirates Cup pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Arsenal are keen to have both defenders ready for the new Premier League season, which begins in just over a week.
Arsenal paid £38 million to get Timber from Ajax last summer, but he has only appeared in three games after suffering a serious ACL injury on his Premier League debut.
The north Londoners are hoping to avoid a similar predicament with new player Calafiori, who they signed from Bologna last summer for £42 million.
Fans are keen to know exactly why Timber and Calafiori are not featuring against the Bundesliga’s Invincible champions. Read on to find out…
Why did Jurrien Timber miss the Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen friendly?
Jurrien Timber has been struggling with a ‘load-bearing injury’, according to fresh reports.
It is thought that the new issue is not related to his previous knee problem – and it is believed he will also miss the friendly clash against Lyon on Sunday.
That is terrible news for Mikel Arteta, with his side facing their first Premier League game of the 2024-25 season in just 10 days, when they take on Wolves at home.
Why did Riccardo Calafiori miss the Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen friendly?
Riccardo Calafiori is not yet ready to make his Arsenal debut with the Italian still working his way up to full fitness.
Calafiori has trained with his new teammates at London Colney but isn’t up to speed to be playing in matches just yet.
The 22-year old is dealing with general tiredness and is taking time to acclimatise to his new surroundings – but there is no suggestion he is struggling with injury.