Koeman on Netherlands Squad: Injury Absences, Timber Doubt, Weghorst Role Explained

Koeman backs De Roon, Wieffer, Til in surprise returns  

Ronald Koeman revealed his 26-man Netherlands squad, detailing why Jeremie Frimpong missed out and why Jurrien Timber was picked despite injury doubts ahead of the Champions League final.

Oranje will face Algeria and Uzbekistan in friendlies before opening against Japan on June 14, with Koeman explaining key selection calls and injury updates...

Speaking at Wednesday’s press conference, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman laid out his reasons for selecting Jurrien Timber even though the Arsenal defender is a doubt for Saturday’s Champions League final, and also addressed why Jeremie Frimpong didn’t make the cut.

Koeman unveiled a 26-man squad for the Netherlands on Wednesday, omitting several well-known names including Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong. He said concerns over Frimpong’s fitness were the main reason behind leaving him out.

Injury and doubts

Koeman is missing several players due to injury. Along with Xavi Simons and Jerdy Schouten, both of whom tore their ACLs in the last two months, the Netherlands will also be without Matthijs de Ligt, Emmanuel Emegha, and Stefan de Vrij.

Young midfielders Kees Smit and Luciano Valente weren’t called up even though they’d made their debuts for Oranje in recent matches. Koeman said his choice came down to the profile of midfielders he wanted: “I would have loved to have taken them both, but we have to make choices.”

“When Schouten is out of the picture, you look at your midfielders, and you can’t compare Smit or Valente to De Roon or Schouten. He’s a real defensive midfielder, a lock on the door. Smit and Valente aren’t like that.”

Bournemouth midfielder Justin Kluivert is fit again, joining Memphis Depay and Jurrien Timber in recovering in time.

“We’ve selected Kluivert because he’s recovered well from his surgery,” Koeman said. “He hasn’t played much, but we deliberately let him train for two days so we could see for ourselves. I’m impressed by how fit he looks. We’ve still got two weeks to go.”

Timber’s availability remains uncertain and he’s a doubt for Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Koeman has also made contingency plans in case Timber isn’t fit for the World Cup.

“We have two players on the standby list: Ian Maatsen and Lutsharel Geertruida, and this is linked to Jurrien Timber. The situation with him is that he was due to train with the squad today, to see how things look ahead of the weekend. They have the Champions League final on Saturday. We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll make it.”

Unexpected Call-Ups

Koeman has selected Atalanta’s Marten de Roon, PSV’s Guus Til, and Brighton’s Mats Wieffer instead. De Roon is back in the Oranje squad for the first time since March 2024, while Til has made only one appearance for the Netherlands since June 2022. Wieffer missed out on squads between June 2025 and March 2026, but has now been picked ahead of Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida and will be used at right-back, Koeman revealed.

  

As for De Roon, Koeman said that the mood was good when he called the Atalanta captain to tell him the news: “Marten de Roon was delighted when I rang him. I’d been in touch with him before; he knew he was on the shortlist.”

“He’d actually expected not to make the squad, but after Schouten’s injury, it started to cross my mind more, as I began looking at the other midfielders – what sort of players they are. You shouldn’t compare attacking midfielders with his role.”

Guus Til adds another profile to the squad, Koeman said. “I called him up because of his performances for his club, his fitness, and the type of player he is. Someone who brings something different to the table compared to other number 10s. I hadn’t made a final decision yet, but I’d had a good feeling about it for a while. I don’t see him as a striker, initially. More as a number 10, playing behind the striker.”

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Wout Weghorst was picked ahead of Burnley striker Zian Flemming, even though Flemming netted 11 goals for the relegated Premier League side this season. Koeman also outlined the specific role he sees for Weghorst, who scored twice for Oranje against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.

“He (Weghorst) has his role in the team. He’s very useful in that role. I can’t see anyone else who can do that. In those moments during a match when you can bring him on.”

Flemming does not fit that same role, the manager explained. “In the way we want to finish a match, with set-pieces. There are so many moments when Weghorst can add value. You might not see that, but I do. That’s a difference of opinion. In that respect, Flemming doesn’t add value for me, given the strikers we already have. They’re different from Weghorst, after all.”

Before kicking off their FIFA World Cup campaign against Japan on Saturday, June 14th, the Netherlands have scheduled warm-up matches against Algeria in Rotterdam and Uzbekistan in New York City.

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