Ronald Koeman said Jurrien Timber completed the full training session on the eve of the Netherlands’ friendly against Uzbekistan, but a decision on whether he starts will wait until later in the day. The coach said he will sit down with Timber and the medical staff before making a call on the defender’s role in the first of two planned games against Uzbekistan.
The update matters because Timber arrived with the Dutch squad later than some of his international teammates after Arsenal finished its club season, and his workload is being handled carefully as the Netherlands close in on the World Cup. Koeman has already said several players are still not quite at 100 per cent after recent injury issues, and Timber’s situation sits squarely in that group of concerns.
Koeman said Timber has made a strong impression when fully available. “When he trains and is fully available, he makes a good impression,” he said. But he added that has not been true every day and that no decision had yet been made. That caution reflects the defender’s recent history: Timber has had to manage his body carefully after a serious knee injury disrupted his first season in north London, even after he played a major part in Arsenal’s title-winning campaign.
The attraction is obvious for the Netherlands. Timber can operate at centre-back, right-back or left-back, and his comfort stepping into midfield areas in possession fits the way Koeman often wants his side to build from the back. That versatility is part of why Arsenal and the Netherlands are both watching his fitness closely, and why any minutes against Uzbekistan are being weighed so carefully before the tournament.
Koeman said the next clear sign should come when he names his side for the Uzbekistan friendly. The second match against Uzbekistan is arranged as a shorter game to help give more players minutes before the World Cup, so the first selection call will also hint at how aggressively the Dutch staff want to use Timber this week. For now, the defender has done the part that matters most: he completed the whole session, and the final word is coming later this afternoon.
