Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk would not be available for Netherlands national football team ahead of the European Championship scheduled to commence in June.
The 29-year-old Dutch center-back who has not played for Liverpool since the beginning of this year has been struggling to recover from a knee injury he sustained in a Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton on 17 October 2021.
After the game, he underwent surgery and was left out of the club’s squad to recover from the injury. Since then, the best he has been seen doing has been running and indoor fitness exercises.
🏃🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/RjiiAGzM6B
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) March 6, 2021
Recently, it was reported that he had to be taken to Dubai to undertake a rehabilitation process which made most fans of Liverpool and the Dutch national team believe that he would be back before the end of the season.
However, it is gradually becoming obvious that Virgil van Dijk cannot make it back before the end of the season. Liverpool have played 34 games this season which means that they have 4 league games left to play.
Unlike last season where they have been confirmed champions of the Premier League at this stage of the league season, the club is currently battling to make the top four without Virgil van Dijk. They are currently sitting on the 6th spot on the league table with 57 points in 34 games, 9 points away from the top four.
Ahead of the club’s 35th league game which is against Manchester United and scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 13, Virgil van Dijk confirmed that he has decided not to go to the Euros.
The Netherlands international said he would use the period of the competition to concentrate on his rehabilitation and push to regain full fitness before the commencement of the 2021-2022 season.
He said: “In this latest stage for myself, I have come to a decision that I had to make: would I be involved in Euros, yes or no?
“With everything that is going on, I feel physically it is the right decision that I’ve decided not to go to the Euros and to go into my last phase of rehab during the off-season. So, the full focus will be on pre-season with the club and that’s a realistic goal, so I am looking forward to that.
“Obviously I am very gutted to miss the Euros, to miss the European Championship and leading out my own country there, but things have been like they have and I have to accept it – we all have to accept it. I think the decision to not go is the right decision in the grand scheme of things. It’s tough, but I’m at peace with it.”
He's our centre-half, he's our number 4…🎶
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 12, 2021
You can't wait for him to be back, and @VirgilvDijk feels the same about you! ❤️
