“When I’m at De Kuip for kick-off, I look around and think: Yes, that’s what I worked for.”

Quinten Timber succeeded. He played for six years in Feyenoord’s youth academy and, after a detour via Amsterdam and Utrecht, is now a regular in the Rotterdam team.

Silence in the base

Wood was one of Feyenoord’s many purchases this summer. The 21-year-old midfielder arrived from FC Utrecht for a reported €8.5m. There he was voted Player of the Year by supporters. It was only natural that he would try higher up.

Despite the pressure of the high price, Timber played quietly in the base. He has not missed a game and has already scored three goals. “You often see that someone needs more time to get used to after stepping up from the bottom,” said Ibrahim Afellay in Studio Voetbal.

“I think he’s adapted effortlessly so far and actually plays like he’s been doing it for years.”

Timber, along with his twin brother Jurriën, was part of Feyenoord’s youth academy from 2008 to 2014. After that, the Utrecht team opted for the more professional approach of the Ajax academy.

While Jurriën developed into a regular in the capital, Quinten opted for the gradual approach. Back home, playing minutes at FC Utrecht.

take steps

The next step seems logical. “I came to Feyenoord because I know that I have the qualities for it, but also that I can make progress here. There are still many steps to take.”

Timber is taking these steps at a rapid pace. “A good start,” he states dryly. “I’ve played quite a lot of matches. I’m happy with that.”

Timber is characterized by its calmness and finding space. “It’s kind of mine move signature“, he shouts the departure from the opponent.

How does he know where his opponents and space are? “Scanning. Knowing what someone is going to do. And it’s a bit of a feeling and putting the decision off until the last minute.”

Lock stimulated

It offers coach Arne Slot the opportunity to let his team play under pressure. So, most importantly, he encourages Timber to keep going. “It’s my strength, so I absolutely have to use it.”

“I just need to know where I’m doing it. Not too deep on the pitch where the risk of losing the ball is greater. But it’s definitely possible higher up the pitch.”

Timber often talks about this at home with his twin brother, with whom he still shares a room. But Jurriën also cracked a critical note recently. “You should have scored a hat trick,” he said to Quinten after the home game against FC Midtjylland (2-2).

This is one of the aspects where Timber would like to improve at Feyenoord. “I have to be more decisive in the last pass and in front of goal. That hat trick could have been if I positioned a little better and made better decisions. I train for that every day.”

To enjoy

Quinten also looks critically at Jurriën. “If things could go better, I’ll say so. But I know how good he is. It’s great when he shows it at such a high level.”

Next month Jurriën will likely do that at the highest level, the World Cup in Qatar. “I plan to go there. A World Cup is a big deal. If your brother plays there, you want to enjoy it.”

It’s the word that comes up most often: enjoy. He does that weekly at Feyenoord, a team in formation where he sees progress.

“There are three or four guys left from the Conference League Finals. This is a fairly new team. That also takes time. I think we’re making good steps forward now, so we’re happy with that.”

Feyenoord looks changeable but is still firmly in the top 3. What is possible when the team is stable? “The most important thing is that we play at the top of the Eredivisie. We want to stay that way,” replies Timber.

“We also want to do well in Europe. The main thing now is to maintain concentration until the World Cup. We will see that in the next half of the season.”

But the most important thing: “You have to enjoy it. I do that every week. That’s so important.”