Koeman hopes for minutes of play for Timber in Champions League final, talks about Memphis Depay

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman spoke on the eve of the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest. The coach took stock of the state of form of two key players in his team: Jurriën Timber and Memphis Depay.

Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber recently returned to full training after a period of absence. If Mikel Arteta, the Gunners coach, believes that Timber is fit to start the final, Koeman remains more cautious. “He has worked well in recent days in training, but it seems unlikely that he will start,” Koeman said on the Evers & Co show on Radio 538.

Nevertheless, the mere possibility of Timber participating in the match, even for a few minutes, represents good news for the Dutch staff ahead of the 2026 World Cup. “Maybe he will get some playing time, that would be very positive. If he plays, it will be with the agreement of the medical staff, which would be reassuring for us too. »

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Concerning Memphis Depay, who is returning from an injury, Koeman clarified that he had just replayed a half in a match on Wednesday evening. “He’s probably back in the Netherlands now. We must carefully observe its evolution. He's not 100% yet, which is normal after a long absence. We will see how we will organize its recovery, particularly in terms of the construction of the game.”

This position shows the prudence of the national coach, keen to preserve his players for future international events, in particular the 2026 World Cup which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In short, Koeman hopes for a gradual and controlled return for these two important players of the Oranje team, in particular Timber who could return to the field in a very tough context, that of the biggest European club final.