Arsenal have been dealt two fresh injury concerns at the start of the international break, with Jurrien Timber withdrawing from the Netherlands squad and Eberechi Eze pulling out of Thomas Tuchel’s England camp
The immediate focus for Arsenal after the Carabao Cup final has shifted quickly from Wembley to availability, with Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and William Saliba all now withdrawing from international duty.
Timber has pulled out of the Netherlands squad after failing to recover in time, extending the concern around a player who had already missed Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester City at Wembley. He had also sat out the Champions League second leg against Bayer Leverkusen, and the Dutch FA confirmed he was not sufficiently recovered to take part in this international break.
His absence from the matchday squad for the final had already suggested the issue had not cleared up in time, and the decision to withdraw now points to Arsenal continuing to manage the problem carefully.
Eze, meanwhile, has also withdrawn from the England squad after sustaining a calf injury. The attacker was left out of Arsenal’s squad for the Carabao Cup final, and Mikel Arteta confirmed after the game that the issue would need further assessment before the club knows the full extent of the problem.
“We have to do another scan in six or seven days and wait to see the results,” Arteta said after the final, confirming that Eze’s injury is to his calf.
That update gives Arsenal a more immediate concern around Eze than there had been before kick-off. Rather than simply missing one game, he now faces a period of uncertainty at the start of the international break, with England moving to replace him in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
Saliba has also now withdrawn from the France squad, adding a third Arsenal absentee at the start of the break and leaving the club with another fitness situation to monitor closely.
A statement from the French Football Federation said: "The Arsenal centre-back is suffering from recurring pain in his left ankle, requiring treatment and a minimum rest period of ten days."
From an Arsenal perspective, the timing is awkward for all three players. Timber had already emerged as one of the main doubts in the build-up to the final, and his withdrawal from the Netherlands camp means he will now spend the break focusing on recovery rather than matches. Eze’s situation looks more uncertain, with Arteta’s comments making clear Arsenal are still waiting on further medical information before they can judge the severity of the calf problem.
There is a small upside in the sense that none of the three will now add more minutes during the break, but that is secondary to the main issue. Arsenal return to club action with the Premier League and Champions League still live priorities, and any injury concern at this stage of the season carries extra significance.
All three withdrawals are likely to be a frustration on both a personal and international level, coming at a time when players are trying to strengthen their standing ahead of the World Cup this summer.