Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk ‘has NOT ruled out playing at the rescheduled Euro 2020 with Holland’ with star set to ‘make his decision later in the season’ despite Jurgen Klopp insisting it will be unlikely
- Virgil van Dijk is set to be out for the rest of the season after rupturing his ACL
- The Dutchman hobbled off against Everton in October and has not played since
- Van Dijk appears well ahead of schedule with recovery and is back training alone
- Reports in Holland say he’s not ruled out playing at the European Championships
Virgil van Dijk is reportedly still weighing up whether to play in this summer’s rescheduled European Championships.
The superstar defender was ruled out for the season back in October after a reckless Jordan Pickford challenge saw the anterior cruciate ligament ruptured in his right knee.
Van Dijk has been sidelined ever since, though appears to be well ahead of schedule in his recovery programme and has already returned to full solo outdoors training under the watch of specialist coaches.
Virgil van Dijk is out for the season but reportedly has not given up hope of making the Euros
The Dutchman was sidelined in October after a collision with Jordan Pickford ruptured his ACL
Yet reports in Holland this week claim the Liverpool man has not ruled out the possibility of leading his nation at the revised Euro 2020 when the tournament takes place across June and July.
Dutch daily publication De Telegraaf reports that Van Dijk has ‘has anything but put this summer’s European Championship out of his mind.’
It is claimed that Van Dijk, the Holland national team captain, ‘does not want to make a decision about participation until later this season.’
The report acknowledges that, should the decision be purely down to Liverpool, the 29-year-old would not be in attendance for Holland this summer.
Van Dijk appears to be ahead of schedule with his recovery and is already back in training
The 29-year-old is the captain of the national team and vital for Holland’s chances of success
It is noted however that the decision does not rest with the player’s club, meaning hopes of Van Dijk pulling on the orange shirt still linger.
The report adds that Van Dijk’s relationship and understanding with Klopp is solid, and he ‘will not do ill-considered things’ when it comes to deciding if his body is ready to return to elite level action.
On Sunday Klopp himself admitted that both Van Dijk and Joe Gomez – another one of his injured central defenders – are both highly likely to miss out on the tournament.
Klopp has admitted it is ‘unlikely’ that Van Dijk will be in a condition to play in the tournament
‘To be honest the information I have at the moment, it will be unlikely,’ said Klopp. ‘Not that I wouldn’t let them go but because of the extent of the injuries.
‘It’s not about talking which competition they can play in. As far as I know, and I am always open for positive surprises and they all of a sudden show up in training, nobody told me (they are nearly ready).
‘We all hope they will be ready to start the pre-season with us. These are really serious injuries,’ he added.