Credit: Justin Setterfield/Catherine Ivill via Getty Images

Gary Neville predicted Arsenal ace would be his Premier League ‘player to watch’ this season and he was bang on

Originally posted on HITC | By Jacob Raw | Last updated May 27, 2025 10:25 AM ET

Arsenal’s star-studded squad was inevitably one to watch at the start of the season, but one player in particular had Gary Neville keeping a keen eye on him this season.

Arsenal have had another ‘nearly’ season, falling short in the Premier League title race and suffering Champions League heartbreak, despite an injury-riddled campaign.

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s new Sporting Director Andrea Berta will be looking to bolster their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window, to prepare for another silverware-chasing season.

Several Arsenal players may leave the club this summer to make way for new additions, however one of their defensive options should be seen as untouchable in the upcoming window after a stellar campaign.

Gary Neville was ahead of the curve with Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber

Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

With Jurrien Timber’s disastrous ACL injury in his first season, many were sceptical of the Dutchman ahead of the start of the 24/25 season.

However, Gary Neville was under no illusion that Timber was going to have a breakthrough season, predicting him to be the ‘player to watch’ this season.

The results are in

Here are @Carra23 and @GNev2's 2024/25 season predictions ✍ pic.twitter.com/nsctL0aTqr
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 19, 2024

Some fans were mocking Neville and his predictions, with some calling it a ‘disaster-class’, but the former Manchester United man had the last laugh with this call.

Neville’s had a disaster-class with this.
— CityBlue (@CityBIue) August 19, 2024

Before the ACL injury, Arteta praised Timber’s performances in his first pre-season in 2023, with big things expected from him, so it’s no surprise to see him flourishing with game time this past campaign.

How well did Jurrien Timber perform this season?

The versatile defender has been a stalwart in Arsenal’s side this season, predominantly playing as a right-back but also impressing in left-back and centre-back.

Arsenal stats all competitions 24/25	Jurrien Timber
Appearances	48
Goals	2
Assists	4
Clean sheets	17
Tackles	55

Timber recently picked up an ankle injury which he has now undergone surgery for, meaning he missed Arsenal’s closing Premier League fixtures.

Arsenal fans will be hoping their defender makes a swift recovery for the start of next season to get The Gunners off to a strong start in another quest for success.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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