Quinten Timber has been ruled out of the Netherlands’ World Cup Group F fixture against Sweden on Saturday after picking up an injury during a training session, the national team confirmed.
Team officials said the midfielder, aged 25, suffered a mild concussion during Thursday’s practice following a collision.
Medical staff assessed Timber right after the incident and concluded that he will not be fit to take part, meaning he is unavailable for selection for the group match.
Speaking to Dutch media, teammate Teun Koopmeiners described the moment of the clash: “The instant Quinten had the ball, I went deep. He was trying to play a chip pass to me and then it happened. It didn’t look like an extremely heavy collision, as far as I understand it, but you still have to be careful.”
The withdrawal is a blow for Timber, who turned 25 on Wednesday and came off the bench in the Netherlands’ opening 2-2 draw with Japan. His twin brother, Jurrien, is already set to miss the tournament after sustaining a groin problem.
Timber had joined the Netherlands’ build-up after arriving late due to Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain. He was then forced to leave the squad not long before a warm-up friendly against Uzbekistan in New York.
