Ronald Koeman breaks silence on Weghorst-Timber battle

Ronald Koeman has broken his silence on a training ground fight between Wout Weghorst and Jurrien Timber which saw the Dutch manager intervene to separate the pair.

The incident has rocked the Netherlands camp and seemed to begin with the Arsenal man appearing to catch Weghorst on the ankle as they challenged for the ball, with the giant striker writhing on the floor in pain.

He was left furious with the challenge and confronted Timber, with Koeman forced to enter the fray and calm the pair down.

Weghorst could barely hide his frustration and later seemed to raise the incident again, with Brighton‘s Jan Paul van Hecke attempting to mollify the 32-year-old, before eventually wondering off the training pitch at the end of the session and cycling away while on his phone.

Now the Netherlands boss has reacted to the fracas and attempted to play down the training ground scrap, VI reports.

‘You shouldn’t make it bigger than it is,’ Koeman said. ‘I’ve had to pull players apart in the past. That happens everywhere. 

‘It’s not good because you should actually have acceptance in those kinds of situations. But I didn’t think it was a problem.’ 

The 61-year-old also addressed Weghorst’s exit from the training ground which many saw as a case of ‘storming off’.

He said: ‘Perhaps it is good to emphasise that Wout did not leave training earlier, because we were done. 

‘Normally he only stays to finish something. He did not do that now, because he was a bit irritated. But of course that is not necessary.’ 

Koeman also revealed that the big striker came up to him later in the day to discuss the incident.  

He added: ‘Then you discuss how that came about. Everyone knows that it could have been done differently. 

‘I didn’t think it was that bad, but if it continues a little longer, it has to be over eventually. Then we’ll talk about it afterwards. 

‘But I never have a problem with arguments. That shows character of players.

‘A little venom and attacking each other every now and then is allowed, right? 

‘You also fight for your spot. That must be done with respect and that was the case here. I don’t see that as a problem.’

The Metro reported that Koeman attempted to act as peacemaker in the clash and told the pair: ‘I said something to you, I said something to them.’

Weghorst continued to express his frustration, to which Koeman replied: ‘And now it’s over!’

Koeman later confirmed that Weghorst, who was amongst the scorers against Bosnia, hadn’t suffered an injury.

The former Everton and Southampton boss has been in football for a long time, both as a player and a coach, and claimed that modern players were ‘easier’ to deal with. 

‘What I have experienced is that it has actually become easier,’ he said. ‘Because all players in modern football have to be so professional right away, on and off the field.

‘In my time as a young coach at Ajax it was different, with Mido, Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, Sneijder, De Jong, Heitinga, you name them. I have grown from that, from all the mistakes I have made and still make.’ 

The striker had a spell on loan at Manchester United from Burnley in 2023, before he made the switch to Ajax last month after spending the 2023-24 campaign with Hoffenheim.

Weghorst has proven to be somewhat of a cult hero at international level, with the 32-year-old scoring several cruical goals.

In total, Weghorst has netted 13 goals in 40 appearances for the Netherlands since making his international debut in 2018.

Timber is back in the Netherlands squad for the first time in more than a year following his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.