Straight back in firing line for VVD
VIRGIL VAN DIJK is facing a gruelling fiveweek schedule on his return from the knee injury that sidelined him for most of last season – following his instant return to Holland’s squad.
The Liverpool defender was named in Louis van Gaal’s provisional 25-man selection for three crucial World Cup qualifiers on Friday – despite not playing a competitive game for 10 months.
And that means Van Dijk is faced with the prospect of playing 10 games in just 37 days – including Premier League meetings with Chelsea, Leeds and Manchester City and the opening two fixtures of Liverpool’s Champions League campaign.
Jurgen Klopp’s men also face Crystal Palace and Brentford before Van Dijk links up with the Dutch squad for three qualifiers against Norway, Montenegro and Turkey.
Van Gaal is certain to want his captain in the team after coming out of retirement in a week when he celebrated his 70th birthday to become Holland boss for the third time in his career.
He succeeded Frank de Boer in the aftermath of a miserable Euros campaign that saw Holland knocked out by the Czech Republic.
Van Dijk, 30, will also be keen to make up for the lost months of his career.
He suffered serious cruciate ligament damage when he clashed with Everton keeper Jordan Pickford in the early weeks of last season.
And Klopp’s team missed him badly as their title defence saw them finish third, 17 points behind champions Manchester City.
Van Dijk’s bid to prove his fitness for the Euros also proved unsuccessful – and his absence was a problem that Holland could not overcome.