Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has given a worrying update on Jurrien Timber’s fitness, suggesting a return for Arsenal’s Champions League final might be optimistic.
Arsenal are doing everything they can to have Jurrien Timber available for their final matches of the season, with the right-back now in his third month out of action.
Recent reports have suggested the defender is back in training, and the Netherlands’ manager Ronald Koeman has now confirmed as much. But Koeman added that the chances of Timber featuring in the Champions League final and the World Cup still aren’t great.
“Jurrien has been dealing with this for quite some time. It has been a rollercoaster ride,” Koeman said. “He is training again to see if he can make the Champions League final, and be available for the World Cup, but it does not look rosy at the moment.”
Ben White has already been ruled out for Arsenal’s last couple of games, with testing on his knee issue revealing he’ll be out for the remainder of the season.
The only good news on that front is that White doesn’t require surgery, and that he has plenty of time to recover before 2026/27.
White’s absence has put extra pressure on Timber’s situation, with Arsenal having to manage without a natural right-back against Burnley on Monday.
Cristhian Mosquera filled in well, but it would obviously be preferable to have Timber available against Crystal Palace and Paris Saint-Germain in the final couple of games, with two trophies at stake.
As it stands, Koeman’s suggestion is that Timber’s involvement isn’t particularly likely, and the player may instead end up focusing on recovering in time for the World Cup a couple of weeks later.
And if Koeman decides against including a player who hasn’t featured on the pitch since March 14th, then Timber would be starting his holidays early.
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