Virgil van Dijk has reportedly held talks with Xavi over his international future
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has been named in the Netherlands squad(Image: Michael Regan, Getty Images)
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Virgil van Dijk finds himself at the heart of a "huge" debate surrounding his international future. The Liverpool captain, 35, will turn 37 during Euro 2028, which is set to be hosted across the UK and Ireland.
As he moves into the latter stages of his career, there are growing calls in the Netherlands for him to step away from the national side, or for new manager Xavi Hernandez to take matters into his own hands and focus on building for the future. Others believe a player of his immense experience should be retained.
Dutch icon Ruud Gullit believes there is a split among supporters over whether he should prolong his international career. The Euro 88 winner told Comeon.com: "I don't know how Virgil Van Dijk is feeling at the moment.
"There is a huge debate in Holland over whether he should retire. Yes or no? Some people think that he should.
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"Others say that he shouldn't. I think it's most important to see how Xavi feels about him and it depends on how Virgil feels about it. If he still feels fit enough, then he should make his decision about it, and that's up to him."
Should Van Dijk choose to withdraw from international duty, it would likely be met with approval at Liverpool and could potentially prolong his career at club level. His existing deal with the Reds runs out next summer, having penned a two-year contract in 2025.
Virgil van Dijk
Van Dijk's international future is in doubt(Image: Getty Images)
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Gullit added: "I'm sure that Liverpool would say yes but that's not fair to him because maybe he thinks he can still do both. And it comes back to how he feels about what he can offer.
"We will have to wait and see what happens in the international break because I think Virgil and Xavi will have had a conversation. He went to watch Van Dijk. I'm curious to see what's going to happen too."
Xavi is standing by Van Dijk for now, having named him in his squad for the forthcoming round of Nations League fixtures, with the two set to hold discussions. The Netherlands face old adversaries Germany at home first, before going up against Serbia twice and travelling to face Greece.
Netherlands head coach Xavi Hernandez
Xavi has a big decision to make over Van Dijk's future(Image: Getty Images)
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Xavi stepped into the role vacated by Ronald Koeman, who departed following the last-32 elimination by Morocco at this summer's World Cup. Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi claimed the World Cup with Spain in 2010 and secured the European Championship in both 2008 and 2012.
His appointment represented his first return to the dugout since his exit from Barcelona in 2024. Having launched his managerial career with Qatari outfit Al Sadd, he took charge of the Catalans in November 2021, once again stepping into Koeman's shoes, and guided the side to the La Liga title in 2023.