Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber has detailed the difficult decision to withdraw from the Netherlands' World Cup squad in the United States due to an ongoing injury, as reported by Dutch media on June 29, 2026.
The 24-cap international consulted extensively with national team coach Ronald Koeman and medical staff before Lutsharel Geertruida was named as his replacement.
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"Was not easy to make that decision," said Timber.
Upon arriving at the training camp in America, Timber attempted to train at full intensity but found his physical condition insufficient.
"When I arrived in America I tried to train to the maximum, that ultimately did not work.
So then we had to make the decision, that was difficult," he said.
Timber deliberated heavily and sought advice from various members of the national setup before finalizing his departure.
"I have had many conversations with the coach, the assistant coaches, Quinten and of course all the other teammates.
Ultimately, I made the right choice," said Timber.
The defender revealed that reaching the Champions League final with Arsenal had given him hope, despite lingering recovery issues.
"About everything. Doubt.
But also a bit of certainty, because I had reached the Champions League final, but I had not come out of it completely well.
It was actually already a miracle that I had reached that final," said Timber.
Although he featured as a 66th-minute substitute against Paris Saint-Germain and played through extra time, Timber dismissed the notion that the extended minutes caused his World Cup absence.
