Virgil van Dijk will not feature in Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Wrexham in the United States. The defender has been given additional time off following his involvement with the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Why is Van Dijk absent?
Van Dijk captained the Netherlands during the World Cup, leading his team to the round of 32. The tournament concluded on June 30, and Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola decided to grant the towering defender extra recovery time ahead of the new season.
When will he return to training?
The Reds captain is expected to return to training at the AXA Training Centre in Liverpool alongside Cody Gakpo and Alisson Becker, who were also omitted from the pre-season tour in the United States. This means he will miss the clash against Wrexham.
What has the manager said?
Andoni Iraola explained: "They will, in terms of dates of training, be very similar but they will start training at the AXA in Liverpool. Because of different reasons, especially Virgil because he has been the player with most minutes in Europe I would say, and Cody for other reasons, they are going to start training basically in the same week as the others but instead of making them come here with the team, we considered that it was sensible with them to start the first week training with a small group or even with younger players that are at the AXA and join us when we [return]."
Next game Van Dijk can play in
The defender will be available for Liverpool's next pre-season friendly against Monaco at Anfield on August 9. The Reds also face Como on August 16 for their final pre-season match before the Premier League season begins.
