Arsenal star inspired by Max Verstappen as he looks to repay Mikel Arteta

Jurrien Timber is drawing inspiration from F1 champion Max Verstappen as he aims to kickstart his career at Arsenal this season.

Dubbed as a potential game-changer for the London side in their hunt for their first Premier League title in 20 years, the Dutch defender signed for Arsenal from Ajax last summer.

But the football world watched in horror as Timber suffered a devastating ACL injury in the opening match of the season.

A brief appearance on the final match-day of their campaign hinted at Timber’s potential yet to unfold.

But by aligning himself with countryman Verstappen and his drive towards a fourth straight F1 World Championship as well as late LA Lakers legend Bryant, it seems only substantial silverware will satisfy Timber.

Timber said: “I like to look at winners and in the NBA you see them a lot. But also you look at Max Verstappen, you see his interviews sometimes after races and you are like ‘wow’ this guy is such a big winner and I love to see that, see his comments that happen after a race.”

The 23-year-old centre-back expressed his gratitude towards Gunners boss Mikel Arteta for his unwavering support during his recovery.

“He was very honest, from the start last year,” revealed Timber. “When we were in pre-season he was very supportive already, and I have to say he was during my injury as well. It helps when you have a manager like that.”

Following a gruelling training session in the scorching California sun, Timber spoke out ahead of their three-match run of pre-season friendlies against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Arteta is clearly thrilled to have Timber back on the team as he strategises to break Man City’s grip on the Premier League title.

“He is a winner, you can see that in his body language, the way he acts, he has worked so hard,” Arteta commented.

“He is in a really good place at the moment, we are going to have to manage him now in the next few weeks because the load he has been able to do in the last few months compared to the next two weeks is very different but we are very excited about him.”

Reflecting on last season’s disappointments, Arteta added: “Obviously he had his moments. It is not easy to come to a big club like here and start to set expectations with his performances and then on day one in the Premier League you are out for the season but mentally he is a really tough boy.

“He has a great environment around him and hopefully that will make him a better player.”

“He is a leader. He loves to be on show and has a big presence in everything that we do. He is very vocal and extremely gifted technically. He is a great addition to the team.”