Virgil van Dijk has spoken with new Netherlands boss to assess whether he’ll continue playing for the national team, with the Liverpool captain also dealing with uncertainty surrounding his contract at Anfield
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is weighing up his international future with the Netherlands(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
View Image
Virgil van Dijk has met face‑to‑face with new Netherlands boss Xavi Hernandez to discuss his international future. The Liverpool skipper, who has earned 96 caps for his counry, is considering his next steps amid major changes at the Dutch FA following a World Cup campaign that ended in the round of 32.
Ronald Koeman has since departed, with Xavi appointed as his successor. Van Dijk is understood to be seeking clarity over his role moving forward, prompting talks with the new head coach.
Dutch media reports suggest a meeting between the two parties is scheduled over the coming weeks, while they also held conversations midweek when Liverpool faced Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Liverpool fans have lost patience with players and only one thing can change that
"I feel that I can still be valuable and important to the team," Van Dijk said recently about his future. "If we see eye to eye on that, we have two good years ahead of us leading up to Euro 2028. And if not, then we'll see."
The Netherlands have four fixtures lined up during the international break. They face Germany in their Nations League opener, followed by two matches against Serbia, and a further clash against Greece.
While van Dijk will be eager to resolve his international future in the near future, the same applies to his long-term prospects at Liverpool. The Dutchman has just one year left on his current deal at Anfield, though it has been reported that Liverpool's hierarchy intend to put any contract renewal discussions on hold until next year.
In the meantime, the Reds will be looking to kick-start their faltering campaign under Andoni Iraola. They have drawn three out of their opening four fixtures this season following Saturday's goalless draw with Fulham.
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page
When quizzed on his side's struggles, Iraola said: "I think there is a lack of freshness, definitely – we cannot hide it. I think it's the worst turnaround in terms of 60-something hours between the games, after a very big game the other day.
"But this is going to happen more times. Maybe with one more day but sometimes it's going to be the same way during the season. We have to adapt to these circumstances.
"And it's these kind of games that you need to win sometimes with a set-play, sometimes with the shot from the edge, sometimes from a moment of brilliance from the offensive players, and we haven't had that today. We've been clearly not as good offensively as we've been [in] other days."