Arsenal defender Julian Timber has been ruled out of representing the Netherlands at the World Cup after failing to recover from a groin injury sustained in March.
Arsenal’s Julian Timber has been excluded from the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal defender Julian Timber has revealed he is devastated after being ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. The 24-year-old was unable to fully recover from a groin problem that has kept him sidelined since March.
The full-back returned to training in the final week of the Premier League season and, despite playing more than 50 minutes in the Champions League final defeat, has not recovered sufficiently to be selected in Ronald Koeman’s squad. As a result, Lutcharel Geertruida was appointed as his replacement in recognition of his excellent performance at Sunderland.
Timber broke his silence on missing out on his lifelong ambition to play in the World Cup, confessing that it was “hard to accept”.
In a post on Instagram, he said: “I’m heartbroken to miss out on the World Cup. Representing my country on the biggest stage is something I’ve always dreamed of and it’s hard to accept that an injury has robbed me of that opportunity.”
“This is not the path I wanted, but I believe God has a better plan than what I see right now.
“I wish the boys good luck. Please make your country proud!”
“Julian Timber will miss the 2026 World Cup,” the Dutch Football Federation said in an official statement released on Monday.
“The 24-year-old defender has not recovered sufficiently from his groin injury to take part in the World Cup in a medically responsible manner.
“Therefore, in consultation with the medical staff, it has been decided that Timber will leave the national team’s pre-campus in New York after the match against Uzbekistan.”
Julian Timber is reportedly eligible to start for Arsenal in the Champions League. (Image: Gao Meng/VCG via Getty Images)
Timber is currently joining the Dutch national team in New York ahead of tournament matches against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. The full-back took part in a pre-tournament photo shoot, but will leave camp after the team’s final warm-up win over Uzbekistan.
The defender showed how he intends to realize a shared dream with his brother after being named in this summer’s World Cup squad. Sadly, the role of flying the flag for the United States, Mexico and Canada for the family fell to Marseille’s twin brother Quinten.
The Arsenal man did not feature in the penultimate friendly against Algeria six days ago, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.
Timber struggled to regain fitness after being substituted in the first half of the 2-0 win over Everton on March 14.
He endured long periods on the sidelines and had a close call in the final against PSG, but although manager Mikel Arteta opted to leave him off the bench in the second half, his team fell short in the penalty shootout.
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