Van Dijk withdraws from Netherlands squad with fitness issue after playing full 90 for Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk will miss the Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League matches against Greece and Germany this month after withdrawing from the squad on Monday due to a fitness issue, Liverpool and the Dutch national team confirmed.

The Liverpool captain had played all 90 minutes of his club’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday and had been expected to travel directly to join up with the national team afterwards. Liverpool’s statement cited a “fitness issue” without specifying the nature of the problem.

The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced that Van Dijk and Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey had both been ruled out, stating that “both players did not return fit from the past weekend” and were “not fit enough to feature in the upcoming Nations League matches”.

Brobbey’s withdrawal comes after the striker hobbled off with a muscular problem in the 67th minute of Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, replaced by Wilson Isidor.

The Netherlands face Greece in Amsterdam on Friday before travelling to Berlin to take on Germany the following Monday. Van Dijk’s absence is a significant blow to the Dutch, who rely heavily on the Liverpool centre-back’s leadership and experience at the heart of their defence.