Timber has been sidelined for several months with a persistent injury, but Arteta revealed on Friday that the Dutch defender is now in excellent condition. "Jurriën is momenteel in uitstekende conditie," Arteta said. "Hij staat al een paar weken op het veld en traint met ons mee, dus hij is er goed aan toe." Arteta will make a decision on Timber's involvement in Sunday's Premier League clash with Chelsea after Saturday's training session.
The 24-year-old defender was initially set to return for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, but a recurrence of his injury forced him to miss the match and the World Cup with the Netherlands national team. Timber will now have to wait until Sunday to prove his fitness, but if he fails to make the cut, he will get another chance to return to action on Wednesday when Arsenal face Napoli in the Champions League.