Headline: Virgil van Dijk Withdraws from Nations League Matches Due to Fitness Concerns
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk will not participate in the upcoming Nations League matches after stepping back from international duty. The Dutch national team confirmed on Monday that both van Dijk and Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey “aren’t fit enough to feature in the upcoming Nations League matches.”
The team stated, “Both players did not return fit from the past weekend.” Liverpool later issued a statement explaining that van Dijk would miss the Netherlands’ fixtures against Greece and Germany “due to a fitness issue,” although further details were not provided.
The Netherlands will face Greece in Amsterdam this Friday before heading to Berlin for their second match against Germany next Monday. Van Dijk played the full 90 minutes during Liverpool’s recent 3-1 victory against Crystal Palace on Sunday and intended to travel directly from Selhurst Park to join up with the national squad.
In a related development, Brobbey sustained a muscular injury and left the field after 67 minutes, with Wilson Isidor taking his place during Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
