Liverpool’s Klopp says Van Dijk fit, Keita fine after return to club

- Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has shaken off a minor ankle injury sustained while on duty with the Netherlands and will be available for their Premier League visit to Leeds United this weekend, manager Juergen Klopp said yesterday.

Knee surgery kept Van Dijk sidelined for most of last season and this year’s European Championship where the Netherlands were eliminated in the last-16 by the Czech Republic.

The 30-year-old sustained a knock from a late challenge in the 6-1 victory over Turkey on Tuesday, but Klopp played down concerns ahead of Liverpool’s match on Sunday.

“With Virgil, that was obviously a scary moment, you can imagine,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website.

Klopp said he asked Van Dijk to send a video of himself not limping, but added that the defender had assured him he was “200% fit”.

“He called me from the team bus and said, ‘Boss, I’m fine.’ I said, ‘Why are you limping then?’ He said, ‘My wife asked the same.’ So, yeah, that was a bit of a tricky moment but apart from that, all fine.”

Klopp, whose side have won two of their opening three league matches, said Guinean midfielder Naby Keita was also fine after returning from the West African country where President Alpha Conde was overthrown in a military coup.

“Yesterday he was not here (at the training centre) but he was in Liverpool again,” Klopp said.

“I will have a chat with him today, but from what I know from all the calls and talks we had, he’s fine.” their squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in October-November.

Rampaul, a member of the 2012 World Cup winning squad, played his last T20 match against Sri Lanka in 2015 and returns to bolster a solid looking lineup that will look to deliver an unprecedented third title for a single team.

“Rampaul is a highly experienced bowler... He will boost the team’s wicket-taking options in the power play and the middle phase and will provide another option for the death overs,”

Cricket West Indies lead selector

Roger Harper.

All-rounder Roston Chase earned his maiden call-up to the

T20I squad. “Roston Chase has shown that he’s a very capable

T20 player. He performed well in the Caribbean Premier League in 2020 and has been outstanding in the 2021 edition so far.

“He has shown the ability to knit the innings together while still scoring at a fast rate with a low dot-ball percentage. He will be an excellent foil for explosive players in the team.”

West Indies, who are in

Group 1, which also includes

Australia and South Africa, take on England in their opening match of the tournament on Oct.

23 in Dubai.