Jurrien Timber, the Arsenal defender, has made a triumphant return to the Netherlands squad after a lengthy recovery from a serious knee injury. He was included in the 23-man selection announced by coach Ronald Koeman on Friday for the upcoming Nations League games. Timber’s injury, sustained at the beginning of last season, kept him sidelined for an extended period. He returned to action in April but missed the European Championship in the summer.
Timber is one of four new additions to the squad for the Group A3 matches against Bosnia & Herzegovina in Eindhoven on September 7th and Germany in Amsterdam on September 10th. Joining him in the squad are his twin brother Quinten, who plays for Feyenoord and has been called up for the second time after his debut against Germany last March; 18-year-old Ajax Amsterdam defender Jorrel Hato, who was last capped in November; and Nick Olij, who comes in as a back-up goalkeeper replacing Justin Bijlow. Bijlow’s move to Southampton from Feyenoord fell through this week after he failed his medical examination.
Notable absentees from the Euros squad include Steven Bergwijn, Memphis Depay, Stefan de Vrij, and Georginio Wijnaldum. Frenkie de Jong remains injured, and Daley Blind has retired from international football.
The full Netherlands squad is:
Goalkeepers:
Mark Flekken (Brentford), Nick Olij (Sparta Rotterdam), Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion)Defenders:
Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United), Jeremy Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Jorrel Hato (Ajax Amsterdam), Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)Midfielders:
Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan), Jerdy Schouten (PSV Eindhoven), Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Quinten Timber (Feyenoord), Joey Veerman (PSV Eindhoven)Forwards:
Brian Brobbey (Ajax Amsterdam), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund), Wout Weghorst (Ajax Amsterdam), Joshua Zirkzee (Manchester United).Timber’s return will be a welcome boost for the Dutch team. He is a talented young defender who has the potential to be a key player for them in the future. His presence, along with the other new additions to the squad, could help the Netherlands to achieve success in the Nations League.
