A stronger Timber ready to make up for lost time

During his prolonged injury layoff last season, Jurrien Timber – looking for silver linings – told us he had used the time wisely, learning more about his teammates, his new club and Premier League football.

Speaking in an exclusive programme interview back in February, he said: “These months will definitely make me stronger. It’s an opportunity for me to do well. So even though I’m not playing, I can take this moment to become stronger mentally, physically, and also to feel at home with this group of boys.

“It’s an opportunity I’ve taken with both hands. I’ve had some more time to watch the team, see how we play, how I can fit in when I get on the pitch, so looking at the positives, I think there have been many.”

The Dutch defender made his long-awaited return on the final day of last season – meaning he played in just the Premier League opener and closing fixture in his debut campaign after signing from Ajax in July 2023.

During that cameo against Everton in May, he looked absolutely determined to make up for lost time – snapping into two tackles, winning a corner and picking up a booking - all within three minutes of coming on.

“I just wanted to be involved, to give my energy, give the team some energy,” he said afterwards. “I think they needed it and I think it came out good.”

It was the same when he came on again against Wolves on the opening day this term. So the signs are that the 23-year-old has been good to his word, and invested his time wisely while forced away from the pitch last term.

But although his injury problems are now well behind him, he is determined to keep learning, to keep analysing his game, his teammates and the Premier League in general. That’s how he was brought up at Ajax.

“I like the analysis side of the game,” he says. “I have done it a lot with sports. It’s fun to watch the way people think about the game. I like to listen to coaches who try to explain the game.

“Early in my career my coaches said that you have to keep developing. Otherwise, if you stand still in your development, people will catch up, you know? It doesn’t matter where you are or what team you’re on.

“I think I was 14 or 15 in a moment where I did well, and they said that to me. That was a very valuable lesson.”

Jurrien’s very early days were spent with hometown club Feyenoord. He then moved to Ajax, alongside twin brother Quinten, when he was 13, and says that most of his big influences were at the Amsterdam club.

“All of the coaches had a big effect on me, but also the players that already were playing in the first team,” he explains. “When I was in the youth team I looked up to great defenders. When I was younger, in the first team they had Matthijs de Ligt and Daley Blind, for example, who were really good.

"Then of course you had the best ones like Sergio Ramos and Virgil van Dijk elsewhere – these types of players were top when I was in the youth, so I looked up to them as well.”

"my coaches said that you have to keep developing. Otherwise, if you stand STILL, people will catch up"

It was a bit later on, Jurrien says, when another legendary ex-Ajax defender – by now his coach in the under-19s – played a huge part in his early development.

“When I was in the under-19s at Ajax, when I was coached by John Heitinga, he made me captain and I had a big responsibility. I think that was the biggest step I needed to make towards professional football.

“In my last year at Ajax I had three managers... or two. I don’t even know how many! Again, I had John Heitinga, which was really nice for me. Before, I had Erik ten Hag for three years, so I had my debut under him and learned a lot - I actually became mature under him. Around that, I had a lot of other trainers to learn from a lot from the under-17s through to the first team.”

Jurrien also had plenty of positive influences at home too. He says his mum has always been a guiding light for him, and not surprisingly so have his brothers.

As well as twin Quinten – now back at Feyenoord and plays alongside him for the Netherlands – he has an older brother Dylan, starring for VVV Venlo, and two other older brothers not in professional football. Home life then, as well as school too, played a big part in Jurrien’s upbringing.

“Yes, school was so important to me to become smarter!” he says with a smile. “It’s important to train your brain as well as training your body, so in general I think it’s good to learn lots of things outside of football. I quite liked history, but I just did a bit of everything.”

"It’s important to train your brain as well as training your body, so in general I think it’s good to learn lots of things outside of football"

He has carried all those life experiences with him through his young career, and is now adapting to a new type of football in the Premier League, though he says there are lots of similarities between training at Arsenal and Ajax.

“Of course some things are different, but the way they approach the game at Arsenal is quite similar to the way they did at Ajax when I used to play there, so not that different. My favourite training drills when I was younger are just the same as they are now – just games, five against five. Then and now. I like to win, so I love those games!”

Finally, is there anything that Jurrien wished he knew when he was younger and starting out in his footballing career?

“It’s still early in my career, to be fair!” he laughs. “If I could choose, it would be to know how to respond to setbacks, but I think that’s pretty normal. I’m pretty happy with my career so far, so it’s hard to say. It’s about patience and continuing to work during a setback.”

After the last 12 months he’s been through, that’s another test that Jurrien can put a big tick next to. Now he just wants to spend as long as possible back on the pitch, putting all he has learned so far into practice.