Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said defender Jurrien Timber may miss the World Cup due to a groin injury sustained in mid-March. "Jurrien has been dealing with this for quite some time. It has been a rollercoaster ride," Koeman said on May 17. Timber is back in training to see if he can recover in time for the Champions League final and the World Cup, but Koeman admitted, "it does not look rosy at the moment" [1, 2].
Koeman remains hopeful about striker Memphis Depay’s availability for the tournament after a thigh injury sidelined him since the end of March. Depay, the Netherlands’ all-time top scorer with 55 goals, has not played for Corinthians since the injury [1, 2]. The forward has three club matches left before joining the Dutch national team, and Koeman expects him to get playing time. "He really needs to get minutes in those matches. I assume that will happen, and if everything goes well, he might even play 90 minutes in the final match," Koeman said [1].
The Dutch squad has already lost three key players to injury who will miss the World Cup: defender Matthijs de Ligt, midfielder Jerdy Schouten, and forward Xavi Simons [1, 2]. The tournament starts next month in June, with the Netherlands drawn in Group F alongside Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia [1, 2].
Koeman’s team faces uncertainty over Timber’s fitness but counts on Depay’s return to boost their attack. The squad will finalize preparations after Depay completes his final club matches before joining the national team.