Arsenal's Jurrien Timber has been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands' World Cup squad due to injury and has been replaced by Sunderland's Lutsharel Geertruida.
Timber, 24, was sidelined for several months towards the end of the domestic season with a groin injury sustained in March. He returned to training during the last week of the campaign and played for over 50 minutes in the Champions League final on May 30.
However, it has been deemed by his national team that he has “not recovered sufficiently†from the issue “to take part in the World Cup in a medically responsible mannerâ€.
A statement from the Netherlands confirmed that “in consultation with the medical staff, it has therefore been decided that Timber will leave the national team's pre-camp in New York†following their final warm-up game against Uzbekistan on Monday, June 8.
Timber, alongside his twin brother Quinten, who plays for Marseille, were both named in the Netherlands World Cup squad on May 26. The twins took to Instagram to celebrate their inclusion, saying: “We once prayed for moments like this. Now we're living them together. Thank You, Jesus.â€
Arsenal's Timber did not feature in the 1-0 friendly defeat to Algeria on June 3. The defender made 44 appearances for Arsenal last season, scoring four goals and providing seven assists to help the side win the Premier League title and reach the Champions League and League Cup finals.
However, after being substituted in the first half of the 2-0 victory over Everton on March 14, the right-back went on to make just one further appearance over the rest of the campaign – against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Before last month's showpiece in Budapest, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Timber was fit and available to start.
He has made 23 appearances for the Netherlands, with his last coming in November 2025.
Sunderland's Geertruida has replaced Timber in the squad (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Geertruida, 25, will replace Timber. Also a right-back, Geertruida made 31 appearances for Sunderland last season, helping them qualify for the Europa League in their first season back in the English top-flight after an eight-year absence. He has made 21 appearances for the Netherlands and played for over 20 minutes against Algeria last week.
Timber's injury could have opened the door for Liverpool right-back Jeremie Frimpong to be included in the side. However, the full-back, who has earned 15 Netherlands caps, has again been overlooked.
