Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been sent home from the Netherlands squad ahead of the UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday
Van Dijk captained the Netherlands to a 4-0 win over Hungary on Saturday, with Wout Weghorst, Cody Gakpo, Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners all on target.
The 33-year-old played the full 90 minutes of the win but will not feature in the final Nations League fixture at the Bilino Polje Stadium. Ronald Koeman's side have already qualified for the Nations League quarter finals in March and so both he and recent returnee Frenkie de Jong will play no part in Zenica.
They have both returned to their respective clubs, as confirmed by Koeman - who says the call was taken on "medical grounds".
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In a quote posted by the Netherlands official account, Koeman said: "For both Frenkie and Virgil it is better for them to leave the training camp at this moment.
"That decision was taken on medical grounds, with of course the interest of the players coming first.”
Van Dijk's withdrawal comes ahead of a busy fixture list for Liverpool, who return to action with a trip to Southampton on Sunday. Arne's Slot league leaders also have huge games against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Everton on the horizon.
The 33-year-old has played every minute in the Premier League this season and he sure to benefit from the extra recovery time going into Liverpool's next game.
On their official website, the Reds say he will return to the AXA training centre for further assessments.
The Netherlands reached the semi-finals in Euro 2024 before losing 2-1 to England and Van Dijk believes the team are slowly improving.
"I want to do my thing, play my best game ever and be important for the group every time I'm on and off the pitch," Van Dijk explained after the Hungary victory.
"I want to contribute one hundred percent to that every day.
"We're still growing, I think. There are phases in matches in which things are going very well, especially in possession. But there are also moments in the transition where we can be better defensively by thinking a little more defensively and playing more compactly."
Topics: Liverpool, Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands
Josh Lawless