Arsenal have confirmed that new signing Jurrien Timber faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The Netherlands defender joined from Ajax this summer for an initial £34.3m but limped off on his Premier League debut in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. A statement from Arsenal on Wednesday confirmed that he would require knee surgery.

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“Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee,” the statement said. “Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time. The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focussed on Jurrien’s rehabilitation programme, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”

Timber, 22, limped off at half-time against Forest following a heavy challenge on Brennan Johnson that earned the full-back a booking. He emerged for the second half but lasted just five minutes before going down off the ball and being replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal rekindle their interest in RB Leipzig’s Mohamed Simakan having already spent almost £200m this summer on new recruits. The France Under-21 defender could cost in excess of £35m.

Despite losing Timber, Arsenal are still expected to allow Nuno Tavares to leave the club in the coming days, with Forest a potential destination for the former Portugal Under-21 full-back.