Jurrien Timber returns to full Arsenal training ahead of Champions League final against PSG

Jurrien Timber rejoined Arsenal’s full training session on Wednesday, raising the prospect of the Dutch right-back featuring in Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest after 70 days on the sidelines.

The 24-year-old has not played since Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton on 14 March, when he was forced off with a groin injury. Having worked through individual sessions on his own up until Tuesday, Timber came through a series of fitness tests without issue before returning to work alongside his teammates.

Even if Timber is declared fully fit, manager Mikel Arteta faces a significant decision over whether to risk a player who has had no competitive football for more than two months. Arsenal’s coaching staff regard him as one of the squad’s best athletes, and the thinking is that he could contribute meaningfully even in a limited role of around 30 minutes.

The need at right-back is acute. Ben White suffered a significant medial ligament injury in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over West Ham United and has been ruled out of the final as well as the upcoming World Cup. In his absence, centre-half Cristhian Mosquera has been the leading candidate to fill the position.

The assignment is a demanding one regardless of who takes it. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, operating on that flank for PSG, is widely considered to be in the best form of any player in world football right now, making the right-back role one of the most consequential matchups of the final.

Timber’s return to fitness was further underlined on Wednesday when he was named in the Netherlands squad for next month’s World Cup, confirming that the player and his medical team are confident in his recovery.