Holland manager Ronald Koeman has shed more light on the fitness concerns that led to Virgil van Dijk’s early return to Liverpool this week.
Despite playing in the 4-0 UEFA Nations League victory over Hungary in Amsterdam on Saturday, Van Dijk left the Dutch squad on Monday.
With Holland already securing second place in their group, behind group winners Germany, the final match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening was a dead rubber.
Ronald Koeman has confirmed that Van Dijk has been dealing with several minor fitness issues, and the player is now being assessed by Liverpool’s medical team ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against his former club, Southampton.
“Virgil had some minor complaints, he already had that last week,” said the Holland head coach. “He trained separately last week until Wednesday.
“Also considering the schedule that these types of players have to complete – he always plays everything. That is why we decided to send him back to the club.”
For the second consecutive international break, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has returned early to Liverpool.
Last month, he missed the defeat in Germany after receiving a red card in Hungary just days earlier.
Van Dijk’s Liverpool teammate, Cody Gakpo, scored from the penalty spot in the Netherlands’ weekend win over Hungary, despite former Manchester United forward Wout Weghorst having already converted a penalty in the match.
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