In the latest statements, midfielder Virgil van Dijk announced that he will not fight with the Netherlands team at the EURO this summer.
After being caught by Jordan Pickford’s goalkeeper in the Merseyside derby against Everton last October, Virgil van Dijk injured his knee ligaments and had to go to the operating table. The Dutch midfielder was absent from that time until now. His inability to play was one of the biggest causes of Liverpool’s decline, which resulted in an empty season.
Van Dijk is working hard to regain his best condition
Van Dijk started his light workout again in the gym at the end of January and is now able to complete some running exercises in the yard. However, there is still no exact timeline for the 29-year-old star’s return when he suffered an injury that is considered the worst for the football world.
Certainly Van Dijk could not return before the end of this year’s season and attention was focused on his possible appearance at the EURO summer. The Liverpool midfielder is the biggest star, also the leader of the Dutch team.
However, Van Dijk has officially announced that he will not be part of the Dutch team for the EURO. In an exclusive interview published on the Liverpool home page, the 29-year-old said: “You know, 7 months ago I was injured. It has been a very, very long journey.
I was forced to go through each step as I have done all the time. Everything went well when I did not have a relapse or any other problems. Recently, I have a decision to make, which is whether I can play at EURO or not?
With all that going on, physically, I feel that the decision not to attend EURO was the right one. Instead, I will enter the final recovery process when the season is over. Therefore, the focus will be on the new pre-season with the club. That is the most realistic goal.
Obviously I am very disappointed by missing the EURO and not being able to lead my national team at the European level tournament. However, in life there are things that you, me, we must accept. I think it was the right decision. Although there are difficulties, but I am comfortable with what I decide ”.
At the next EURO period, the Netherlands will be in Group C. This is considered a not too difficult group with the presence of Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia. But the problem is that “Orange tornado” is not playing well under the guidance of coach Frank de Boer.
