VIRGIL MAN DIJK
Koeman reveals: He’s playing through the pain of TWO broken ribs to keep Liverpool and Holland both winning
RONALD KOEMAN has revealed Virgil van Dijk “has been playing with two broken ribs for weeks” at Liverpool.
Holland’s head coach also claimed the Reds’ £75million defender has been “constantly injecting” in order to get through the pain at Anfield.
It sheds some light on Jurgen Klopp’s opposition to the Nations League, the tournament described by the Kop boss as “the most senseless competition in football.”
Koeman acknowledged Liverpool would have preferred Van Dijk to rest during the international break.
But the former Southampton star insisted on playing – and scored in his country’s landmark 3-0 win over Germany.
Koeman (right) said: “Virgil has been playing with two broken ribs for weeks and has been constantly injecting to play at Liverpool in recent weeks. He insisted on being present against Germany.
“That’s great because you want internationals who want to be here at the expense of everything. The club would have preferred him there. But he said he wanted to play against Germany. If you get something, you have to give something back.”
Liverpool are aware of Koeman’s comments and have no problem with them.
Klopp has addressed the issue and is expected to elaborate further in his scheduled press conference later this week. Van Dijk was released from the Dutch squad ahead of last night’s friendly against Belgium after talks between his country’s backroom staff and their club counterparts.
He joined up with Holland after a period which saw Liverpool go four games without a win.
Klopp revealed Van Dijk, 27, had suffered with his rib issue ahead of the Reds’ Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain in September. He went on to aggravate the injury when Liverpool played Southampton the following weekend and it is understood he went on to play through the pain in subsequent games against Chelsea, Napoli and Manchester City.
Van Dijk’s Liverpool teammate Georginio Wijnaldum has urged his Holland teammates not to get carried away with their shock win over Germany.
The victory showed signs of a recovery after their failure to reach the World Cup.
But midfielder Wijnaldum said: “Resurrection? I am not the kind of person who believes that.
“One and a half games went well and it is important that we keep it going over a longer period. Only then can you talk about a resurrection.“