Klopp won’t let Virgil and Joe go to the Euros
Jurgen Klopp has blocked Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez from going to the Euro finals this summer.
The Liverpool boss believes the nature of his defensive duo’s long- term injuries makes it impossible to allow them to play for their nations before they’ve completed a pre-season with Liverpool.
Klopp is clear that even if the pair have recovered, it’s too risky to sanction their participation at the delayed Euros which start on June 11.
German gaffer Klopp said: “The information I have at the moment, it will be unlikely.
“Not that I don’t let them go because I don’t want to do that anyway. It’s because of the extent of the injuries.”
Dutchman Van Dijk is running again after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in October’s Merseyside derby.
Gomez, 23, isn’t far behind in his recovery from a torn tendon in his left knee sustained while training with England in November.
Fellow defender Joel Matip is also a long-term absentee and Klopp sees no quick return for him. He said: “We all hope they will be ready to start pre-season with us but we should not forget these are really serious injuries.
“It’s not about saying which competition they can play in. I am always open for positive surprises but nobody has told me that they are nearly ready.
“Virgil and Joe look at the moment better than Joel does because he is still in something like a ski boot.
“Joe is starting running, Virgil is already running but this is really a tough one.
“We will be completely over the moon when they are ready to train with us for the start of pre-season. The Euros, I don’t think about it.”
Liverpool face Wolves tomorrow and Klopp is not the only one disappointed van Dijk and Gomez are missing – so is Wolves’ Pedro Neto.
The 21-year-old says there would be no better people to measure his progress against than the crocked duo.
He said: “I’d prefer it if Van Dijk and Gomez were playing because I want to play against the best so I can improve.”