LONDON (AP) — Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber is set for a long spell out after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in his competitive debut for the Premier League club.

Arsenal didn't give a timeframe for the Netherlands international's absence when confirming the nature of his injury on Wednesday.

Timber, who joined from Dutch team Ajax in the offseason, was hurt in the first half of the Premier League game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

“Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time,” the club said. “The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focused on Jurrien’s rehabilitation program, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”

ACL injuries can keep players out for up to 12 months.

Timber said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that his injury “is more serious than expected.”

“I wanted to repay you on the pitch, which will not be possible for the forthcoming period,” he wrote.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer