Arsenal star Jurrien Timber makes history with Netherlands appearance on comeback trail

Jurrien Timber made international history during the Netherlands‘ 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina – by lining up alongside his twin brother, Quinten.

Timber, 23, is back playing after suffering an ACL injury on his Premier League debut with Arsenal last season: a setback which saw him miss the majority of the 2023/24 campaign.

The versatile defender returned to fitness before the summer and has featured in all three of the Gunners’ league matches so far this term. He was called upon by Ronald Koeman for the Dutch’s UEFA Nations League showdown with Bosnia, too, alongside his brother, who plays for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie.

Timber was brought on just after the hour mark with Quinten joining the action in the 83rd minute. And in doing so, they became the latest set of twins to play for the Netherlands, following in the footsteps of the likes of Frank and Ronald de Boer.

Timber was regarded as a major coup for Arsenal after they signed him from Ajax last summer before injury struck. He eventually made his return – ahead of schedule – back in May.

He was introduced as a substitute some 282 days after making his Arsenal bow on the final day of last season – and while he revelled in the moment, he admitted it was bittersweet given the Gunners missed out on the title to Manchester City.

He told Arsenalfc.com at the time: “I felt good after so many months of hard work, but on the other hand, we didn’t become champions today and that’s sad. It’s a hard one to take.

“I just wanted to give some energy to the team. It was still 1-1 and there were still enough chances to win the game, so I tried to do that it’s just a nice feeling to be back.

“That’s very important. I think it’s a different feeling when you don’t play any minutes. After getting injured after the first game, then what happened today, getting minutes even though we didn’t become champions, it’s just nice for me to go into the summer with some minutes. That’s very important for me, it’s just my feeling.”

Timber, who has started Arsenal’s last two league games, will be hoping to retain his place in Mikel Arteta‘s team for the North London derby against Tottenham on Sunday.