Man Utd legend Neville names shock Arsenal star as the player to watch this season

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville reckons Arsenal star Jurrien Timber could be one of the players to watch this season.

The Gunners lost out on the Premier League title on the final day of last season with Manchester City pipping them by two points in a dramatic title race.

Timber was one of the main faces to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s side at the beginning of last term, arriving from Ajax for around £38m, but he only managed three appearances in all competitions after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury early in the campaign.

Riccardo Calafiori has been Arsenal’s only major signing this summer so far and, after witnessing the Gunners beat Wolves 2-0 in their opening match of the season, Neville reckons Timber, and not Calafiori, will be the Premier League player to keep an eye out for this campaign.

Speaking on Sky Sports on Monday night, Neville said: “I was looking forward to Timber coming to Arsenal and adding defensive stability and they did that without him.

“The fact that he has been out for so long, it will just be interesting to see him.

“Arsenal haven’t made many additions so he feels like a new addition and I am looking forward to seeing how he fits in.”

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Neville has also predicted Arsenal to finally beat Man City to the Premier League title this season, while fellow pundit Jamie Carragher has Pep Guardiola’s side down for their fifth straight league title.

After Man City also won their first match of the season against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge , Carragher said: “Going away from home on the first game of the season is always difficult, look at Liverpool at Ipswich in the first half. Man City go to Chelsea, whatever we say about them it’s still Stamford Bridge, they’ve still got big-name players, and they win.”

Neville added: “My reasoning [for backing Arsenal] last year was that coming off the back of the treble for City might have an impact on them at certain points, the demands, the expectations, the injuries, but I think they won their last nine games, which is just special.”

Carragher: “Something that’s interesting about Arsenal, no team in Premier League history has improved their position five years in a row. Arsenal have done it four years in a row, and to go beyond where they did last year is going to be tough.”

Neville: “Arsenal had an incredible season so I was not a million miles away. They are getting nearer and I feel they will do it. Pep Guardiola wins all the time but I feel Arsenal are so consistent that this could be the year.

“Arsenal are getting to such a high level now of consistency, defensive solidity, the balance of the team, they look like they have got a great spirit.”

Carragher: “In the last couple of years, when they’ve gone for the league, they’ve gone out of the domestic cups and not got to a final in Europe. This group of players are good enough, and they should be winning a trophy this season.”