Virgil van Dijk in action for Netherlands
Virgil van Dijk in action for Netherlands
Virgil van Dijk will miss the Netherlands’ final two Nations League group games, the Dutch FA (KNVB) confirmed on Monday.
Van Dijk had been named in head coach Xavi’s squad for the matches against Greece and Germany. The Netherlands are competing with both teams for a top-two finish in Group A2.
At 35, Van Dijk has started 14 of his 15 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions this season. He has played more than 1,200 minutes under head coach Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool confirmed the withdrawal on their official website and cited a fitness issue. The club did not say what the problem is.
Van Dijk played all 90 minutes of Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday. The KNVB said he did not return fit from the weekend’s matches.
“Virgil van Dijk and Brian Brobbey have been dropped from the Dutch national team’s upcoming international matches,” the KNVB statement read.
“Both players did not return fit from the past weekend’s matches and are therefore unavailable. The squad thus currently consists of 23 players.”
According to the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele, Van Dijk “has been managing a little niggle for a few weeks now”. Steele traces the issue back to Liverpool’s 6-3 Champions League win at LASK in October, a game Van Dijk did not start.
The Athletic’s James Pearce also reports that the defender has been playing with a minor injury problem in recent weeks. It adds that the nature of the issue has not been disclosed.
Xavi will not call up replacements for either player. The Netherlands face Greece in Amsterdam on Friday before travelling to Berlin to play Germany on Monday.
Van Dijk has 100 caps for the Netherlands. He will not add to that tally during this international break.
Liverpool return to Premier League action at home to Manchester United on Sunday, 22 November, before the Merseyside derby against Everton on Sunday, 29 November.
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