Timber worked apart from the 25 players Xavi took through Tuesday’s session in Zeist, according to Dutch football magazine Voetbal International. The Arsenal defender also missed Monday’s workout, with the schedule agreed in close consultation between his club and the Netherlands staff.
His availability for Thursday’s Nations League A opener against Germany, the first match of Xavi’s tenure as Oranje head coach, is now openly in doubt.
Arsenal in direct contact with Xavi
Voetbal International reports that Arsenal have been in direct contact with the new Netherlands head coach to devise a workload tailored to the 25-year-old’s recovery. The plan is deliberately conservative, aimed at avoiding another setback in a comeback that has moved slowly for months.
Timber had surgery in the summer after a groin problem interrupted the tail end of his last Arsenal season. He appeared briefly in the Champions League final before withdrawing from Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup, ruled out after failing to recover sufficiently from the same complaint.
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His competitive return came only recently, as a half-time substitute for the injured Ben White in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sunderland. He then started at Brighton before joining up with the national team.
Xavi’s debut without a settled defence
Thursday’s fixture, kicking off at 8:45pm local time in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, is the first competitive game of Xavi’s four-year contract as Netherlands coach. He named a 26-man squad but left out the country’s record scorer, Memphis Depay, framing the Nations League as a proving ground for a rebuilt group.
Arsenal have a separate reason to want Timber back in London intact. Mikel Arteta is already carrying injuries at the back: Ben White is out, Cristian Mosquera has a knee problem and William Saliba is being managed with a back complaint. The right side of the defence needs him as much as the national team does.
Wednesday’s session in Zeist is Timber’s last opportunity to train with the group before Xavi names his side.
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