Netherlands confirm early Virgil van Dijk exit sparking Liverpool injury concern for Man City

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Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk may be a fresh injury concern following his exit from the Netherlands national team squad.

The centre-back has been a key figure for the Reds once again this season, playing every minute of Premier League and Champions League action so far.

Under Arne Slot, Van Dijk has helped the side reach the top of the league table in both competitions, with hopes already high for the manager in his first season at the helm.

While expectations have risen at Anfield, it’s still early days as the real work begins after the November international break in a busy festive fixture period.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, there may be some fresh doubts over the availability of their captain in the weeks ahead.

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Virgil van Dijk leaves Netherlands squad early amid injury concerns

Van Dijk has spent the two-week break from domestic action out with his national team, aiming for safety in the UEFA Nations League Group A.

They secured that with a victory over Hungary, a match that the Liverpool defender played in for the full 90 minutes.

Following that is a clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be a nothing game for the nation as they cannot move up or down the rankings in their group.

With that in mind, Van Dijk has left the camp early, with confirmation from the official Netherlands football accounts stating: “Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong are not part of the squad for our final group stage game against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Nations League.”

Manager Ronald Koeman stated on the pair: “For both Frenkie and Virgil it is better for them to leave the training camp at this moment. That decision was taken on medical grounds, with of course the interest of the players coming first."

It sparks some potential injury concerns for Liverpool and Van Dijk, though many will be hoping that he is simply rested.

Medical grounds could include anything from load management and the matches they’ve already played, all the way to potential injuries, so it remains to be seen exactly how the situation unfolds.

Any absence could underline exactly why there is so much panic over Van Dijk’s dwindling contract situation at Liverpool.

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Liverpool games Virgil van Dijk could miss through injury

If the worst is to come in that Van Dijk is actually injured, then it may have come at an incredibly poor time for Liverpool.

Some huge games await the Reds for their fate in both the Premier League and the Champions League this season.

While a trip to relegation battlers Southampton is immediately up next for Slot, there are a trio of tough fixtures that follow.

Real Madrid, Man City, Newcastle, Everton and Girona all await in ties that could be tricky if the Reds aren’t careful.

If Van Dijk is rested for the upcoming Netherlands games then it may well be a blessing in disguise that could have him fully fit in time for these huge clashes.

Should he not be available though, there is strength in depth as Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah are more than capable of taking his place for the short term.

Whether they can do so for some of the biggest matches of the season is another question though.