Sunderland loanee Lutsharel Geertruida called up by Netherlands as Jocelin Ta Bi stars for Ivory Coast U21s | OneFootball

Sunderland’s World Cup contingent has risen to 12 after Jurriën Timber’s groin injury opened the door for on-loan defender Lutsharel Geertruida to join the Netherlands squad. The Black Cats already had 11 players set for the tournament following their historic qualification for next season’s Europa League.

The Netherlands FA said Timber, 24, will miss the 2026 World Cup and leave the pre-camp in New York after the Uzbekistan game, adding that the squad at their Kansas base is back to 26 players.

Geertruida made 30 appearances while on loan from RB Leipzig last season. As it stands he is set to return to Leipzig and looks unlikely to join Sunderland’s preparations, but he will get a chance to impress as the Netherlands face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia.

Winger Jocelin Ta Bi will not be in Ivory Coast’s senior squad, yet he has impressed for the Under-21s. Signed from Maccabi Netanya in January, he made two appearances before an ankle injury, then was an unused substitute in Sunderland’s final four matches.

At the Maurice Revello Tournament in France, Ta Bi scored first in a 3-3 draw with Japan last Monday, then opened the scoring in a 3-1 win over Venezuela two days later. He missed the 0-0 draw with Portugal, returned on Tuesday and hit a brace in a 2-1 win against Canada. That result sealed a semi-final place, with Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, China and Congo in contention as possible opponents.

Source: Sunderland Echo