As he keeps recovering from a lengthy injury, Virgil van Dijk keeps getting messages about his return from people like Matthijs De Ligt.
No pressure but, Matthijs De Ligt just made a revealing statement about Virgil van Dijk’s possible return to the Netherlands squad. As Frank De Boer struggles to find the ideal starting eleven for the World Cup Qualifiers. It’s evident Virgil van Dijk is one of the most important players for the team. We have the European Championship happening next summer and we have no idea if the defender will be ready to play. But De Ligt just made a revelation about the recent visit they had from the Liverpool star.
As it turns out, recovery is going well for him but there is no way to know if he’ll be ready to play this competition. Nevermind returning in due time to help Liverpool compete in the Champions League. What matters for the defender is making it in time to play the Euros. As you may already know, Van Dijk suffered a nasty knee injury at the start of the season during a Merseyside Derby. Since then, he hasn’t played a single match for the Reds.
De Ligt thinks it’s Van Dijk’s choice.
“We had a meeting yesterday, [Van Dijk] was there too,” De Ligt said on Friday via Sports Max. “He looked very good, he seemed very fresh and free. Of course, I don’t know how he feels physically, he doesn’t really want to put any pressure on himself either. He has a clear mind and looks at it day by day. He is calm and wants to see where he’s at, at moment the Euros are starting. I think it’s important for him to be calm, and to be able to recuperate from his injury without any pressure from us or from the country. He will decide if he will be at the Euros. If he’s there, he’s there. If he’s not there, other guys will have to fill his shoes. But yesterday he looked well.
“That’s a question that’s not really relevant to me. In the end, it’s the manager who decides who plays, what we need. In possession, Daley is one of the best defenders I have ever played with. Stefan plays in Italy, is more physical and is stronger than Daley. So it might also depend on our opponents. We also have Nathan Ake and other guys. There are enough options. I might not even be playing. That’s something the manager decides, that depends on the game. We simply have to respect the manager’s decisions.”
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