Jurrien Timber says it was “a miracle” he recovered from his groin injury in time to take part in last season’s Champions League final.

The Dutch full-back was forced off after 37 minutes as Arsenal hosted Everton back in March with what appeared to be a season-ending injury.

But he rallied to come off the bench as the Gunners did battle with Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, helping them get a 1-1 draw over the line before they were eventually beaten in a penalty shootout.

It seems that cameo did damage, though, as Timber was subsequently ruled unfit to represent the Netherlands at the World Cup. He made a long-awaited return to the pitch last week as Arsenal won at Sunderland, before starting for the first time in six months as the Gunners visited Brighton.

The 25-year-old is not quite back to his best, though. He has reported for international duty this week, but neglected to take part in first-team training on Tuesday as Netherlands and Arsenal coaches work together to manage his minutes.

Speaking to the press from the Dutch camp, he has now lifted the lid on his recovery process and his improbable appearance in Budapest.

“Calling it a relapse is too harsh,” he explained.

“You know, I was injured for a total of 25 weeks before and after the World Cup. To be honest, I only felt good during that week of the Champions League final. It was a miracle [that I played].

“From the outside, it all looked good. But I felt I couldn’t go all out. You can get away with that in training, not in a match.”

Arsenal fans will watch with bated breath to see whether Timber is involved when new Netherlands head coach Xavi names his side to face Germany in the Nations League on Thursday evening.

Timber continued, discussing the painful decision to leave the Netherlands’ World Cup camp: “Leaving my brother and those other guys behind really hit hard.

“It was for just a few days. I had worked hard for two months to get fit again and make it to the Champions League final, and I had hardly any days off.

“After dropping out of the World Cup, I noticed that I needed to do nothing for a while, also to recover from the disappointment.”