Jurrien Timber, the Arsenal defender and Premier League champion, will miss the upcoming World Cup as the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) confirmed his withdrawal from the Netherlands squad. Timber, 24, sustained a groin injury, compounding the fitness concerns ahead of the tournament.
The injury occurred just before the final pre-tournament friendly against Uzbekistan, scheduled for Monday, prompting medical staff and coaching officials to make the difficult decision to send Timber home from the national team’s pre-camp in New York. This setback adds to an already challenging injury situation for coach Ronald Koeman.
Squad Adjustments Ahead of the World Cup
Alongside Timber, other key players have also been ruled out of the tournament. Attacker Xavi Simons and centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij have all been confirmed unavailable, leaving Koeman to reshuffle his defensive options.
To fill the void left by Timber’s departure, Koeman has called up Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida. The defender will join the squad as they prepare for their opening match against Japan on Sunday. The Netherlands will then face Sweden and Tunisia in Group F, aiming to advance despite the setbacks.