Gunns have hol of a chance with Timber

GLOBETROTTER Jurrien Timber turned his summer holiday into a world tour – until Arsenal told him to stay at home.

The Dutch full-back’s whistle-stop travel odyssey took him to Turkey, Curacao, Miami, Marbella and Asia and he grinned: “I have seen the whole world in two months.”

But the Gunners, who sent a fitness trainer with Timber (below) on some of his trips, stepped in and asked him to stop getting his passport stamped.

Today he joins Arsenal’s latest crusade to go one better than runners-up in an opening-day headline clash against Manchester United with his ankle problem healed.

Timber said: “I had an ankle operation at the end of last season to take something out that was bothering me, but I feel good now.

“I could not sit still during the summer to get fit, so I went to a lot of nice places.

“At the same time I was doing rehab. I have been to

Turkey and Curacao, where my mum is from.

“I went to

Miami for a couple of days and also

Marbella.

“It was good – and I went to

Asia.

“I have seen the whole world in two months. Someone was with me from the club and

I had more places to go, but the club said, ‘That is too much!’

“At the beginning I was on crutches so I could not do much, but when I was off crutches I had someone with me.”

His mobility and versatility made him a vital component of the Premier League’s meanest defence last season – just 34 goals shipped in 38 games, seven fewer than Liverpool. Timber admitted: “I did not realise that we had the best record.

“We know we were defending well and doing well as a unit but we were focusing on ourselves. “We have a lot of good defenders and we defend with the whole team. “The amount of defenders we have at the back, the competition is amazing and it makes each other better.” Arsenal’s first six games include dates with Liverpool and Manchester City. Timber said: “It is a tough beginning, isn’t it? But I think last season we also had a tough start and it can go both ways. “If you start well, it can be amazing. That is the challenge. “But I think Arsenal have shown the last couple of years already that we will always be fighting for the title.”