Will Netherlands Defender Jurrien Timber Miss the World Cup?

Charlie Zschau Published: 15 hours ago

Arsenal and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber suffered a groin injury, and his World Cup status is now official.

On Monday, the Dutch Football Association confirmed that Timber will miss the 2026 World Cup with the Netherlands national team due to his inability to recover from a groin injury quickly enough.

Timber has been dealing with the groin problem down the stretch of the Premier League season that Arsenal won, and was initially expected to return to full fitness ahead of the international tournament.

Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, the decision to withhold him from the tournament was made by the teams doctors. They stated that he has not made enough progress to responsibly allow him to play at any point during the tournament.

The injury news in huge blow to Ronald Koeman's team just days before the tournament begins.

Who Will Replace Jurrien Timber for the Netherlands?

Timber will be replaced by Sunderland and RB Leipzig defender, Lutsharel Geertruida.

Geetruida is 25-years-old, and has made 21 CAPS for the Dutch national team to date. He is a like-for-like replacement for the injured Timber, so this swap should hopefully not affect Koeman's plans ahead of the tournament.

Jurrien's twin brother Quinten Timber will still be a part of the squad heading to America, and Jurrien will surely still be tuning into every match his nation play. Quinten plays as a midfielder for French side Marseille, in Ligue 1.

The Netherlands are expected to make a late run into the World Cup, on the backs of captain Virgil Van Dijk and midfielder Frenkie De Jong.