Mikel Arteta urged not to start ‘special’ Arsenal star in midfield vs Tottenham despite injury crisis

Rafael van der Vaart believes Arsenal person a ‘special player’ connected their hands successful Jurrien Timber, but has urged Mikel Arteta not to propulsion the Dutchman into a midfield relation against Tottenham.

Timber joined the Gunners from Ajax past summertime but saw his archetypal play successful England derailed by a an anterior cruciate ligament wounded suffered connected his Premier League debut.

The Netherlands prima is present afloat recovered from that setback and has earned a spot successful Mikel Arteta’s starting XI, slotting successful astatine left-back having started successful his side’s past 2 games against Aston Villa and Brighton.

Arsenal instrumentality connected Tottenham successful the northbound London derby connected Sunday with the nine reeling from a bid of immense setbacks that person ravaged their options successful midfield.

Martin Odegaard volition miss the derby aft suffering an ankle wounded on planetary work with Norway this week with Declan Rice suspended aft his arguable reddish card against Brighton past clip out.

Mikel Merino, a summertime signing from Real Sociedad, is besides unavailable aft suffering a fractured enarthrosis successful his archetypal grooming league successful the club.

It leaves Arteta with the options of Thomas Partey and Jorginho successful the mediate of the park, with Kai Havertz present thriving successful his relation further up the pitch.

Arteta suggested past period helium could utilise Timber successful a midfield relation this season, an enactment the Arsenal brag could ponder up of Sunday’s travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While van der Vaart sees Timber becoming a cardinal subordinate successful the broadside susceptible of playing successful a fig of roles, helium is not convinced present is the clip to propulsion him further up the pitch.  

Van der Vaart told Metro.co.uk: ‘I deliberation helium [Timber] tin play everywhere. He played successful a midfield relation for Ajax successful the younker teams, connected the close and left. That’s the bully happening astir having him due to the fact that you tin enactment him successful truthful galore antithetic positions connected the pitch.

‘He is simply a great, large player. It was specified a pity helium got injured but present is the clip Arsenal fans and England volition spot however bully helium is. He is truthful annoying to play against, helium is quick, bully with the ball, bully without it, helium is not that gangly but helium tin leap similar hell, helium is simply a truly peculiar player.’

But asked if helium could beryllium a midfield solution against his erstwhile nine Spurs,van der Vaart said: ‘I don’t deliberation so. He has started the play good but helium hasn’t played determination successful a long, agelong time.’

Timber featured for Netherlands successful games against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany during the planetary break, joined by his duplicate member Quinten arsenic the brace became the archetypal Dutch brothers to stock the transportation since Frank and Ronald de Boer successful 2003.

The Feyenoord midfielder is different of Dutch football’s rising stars with van der Vaart believing helium volition soon beryllium snapped up by a Premier League side.

‘His member plays for Feyenoord and came connected for Netherlands. Quinten is much of a midfielder but they are some truthful beardown connected the ball, similar small pit bulls. I would counsel him to determination to the Premier League. You would beryllium spending circuit wealth wisely.’

Rafael van der Vaart was speaking connected behalf of BetMGM. Play the caller £1million Golden Goals crippled this play by predicting Premier League scores at https://www.betmgm.co.uk. BeGambleAware 18+

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