'It was a miracle' - Timber opens up on 25-week injury battle

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Jurrien Timber has revealed the full extent of the groin problem that wrecked his summer, admitting it was "a miracle" he was able to take part in Arsenal's Champions League final last season.

The 25-year-old made his first start since 14 March last Saturday, playing an hour in the 3-0 defeat at Brighton, and is still carefully managing his fitness while away with Holland.

Speaking on international duty, Timber laid out a timeline that stretched across the back end of last season and the whole of the summer. "Still, calling it a relapse is too harsh," he said, as reported by football.london. "You know, I was injured for a total of 25 weeks before and after the World Cup. To be honest, I only felt good during that week of the Champions League final. It was a miracle [that I played]."

Pushed to the limit in Budapest

Timber's involvement in the final came after Ben White suffered a knee injury just 20 days before the game in Budapest. The Dutchman came off the bench in the second half and ended up playing 54 minutes once extra-time was factored in.

He had spent two months racing to be fit for that night, and the bill arrived shortly afterwards. Once he linked up with Holland for their pre-World Cup camp, the warning signs were immediate.

"From the outside, it all looked good," Timber explained. "But I felt I couldn't go all out. You can get away with that in training, not in a match."

Missing the World Cup

Having already sat out Euro 2024 through injury, Timber fought to stay in the squad — a tournament he had hoped to play alongside his twin brother Quinten. He finally accepted the situation before Holland's warm-up match against Uzbekistan in New York, following conversations with Ruud van Nistelrooy.

While the squad flew to Kansas City, Timber flew to Miami. "Leaving my brother and those other guys behind really hit hard," he said. "It was for just a few days. I had worked hard for two months to get fit again and make it to the Champions League final, and I had hardly any days off. After dropping out of the World Cup, I noticed that I needed to do nothing for a while, also to recover from the disappointment."

A minor surgical procedure followed. Timber watched Holland's campaign from his home in London before returning to action this season in the 2-0 win at Sunderland, then logging an hour at the Amex last weekend.

Managed carefully with Holland

New Oranje boss Xavi has confirmed Timber is available for Thursday's Nations League meeting with Germany, though the defender trained individually on Monday and Tuesday away from the main group.

"We are now focused on tomorrow, not on the rest of the matches," Xavi said. "We are ready. We have to be a bit careful with Jurrien Timber, who was injured for a long time. But he is available, that goes for everyone."

For Arsenal, the priority is a defender who has barely featured since March being eased back to full sharpness rather than rushed. How his minutes are managed over the coming weeks will shape how quickly Mikel Arteta can call on him regularly again.