Liverpool star to return from international duty early ahead of Chelsea game after red card incident

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is set to return from international duty after suffering a red card against Hungary.

The Netherlands drew 1-1 with Hungary in their UEFA Nations League clash that saw Denzel Dumfries net a late equaliser, set up by Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo. Van Dijk had seen red after receiving a second yellow card just minutes earlier which was the first of his international career.

A frustrating night for Van Dijk, he received two yellow cards in the space of three minutes and he will now miss the upcoming game against Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Following the game, the Liverpool captain reiterated his intention to remain with the Dutch team, despite his dismissal to support his teammates.

"I'll just travel with the team, of course," he told NOS. "At least, for me that's natural. I just played 80 minutes tonight, so I'll just have to recover first and I just want to be with the team as captain." A day later, he changed his mind. However, it has since been revealed that he will leave the camp and return to England which will give Liverpool a boost ahead of a hectic schedule. The official national team confirmed it on X: ‘Captain Virgil van Dijk is leaving Oranje’s training camp. This was decided yesterday in Budapest. After his red card in the match against Hungary, he has been ruled out for the game against Germany on Monday.’ While it was a poor moment for the 33-year-old, Van Dijk will now have time to recover and recuperate ahead of facing Chelsea at Anfield next weekend. The Reds are six wins from seven in the league but face their toughest test of the campaign so far as Enzo Maresca’s free-flowing Chelsea side head to Merseyside.

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After that, they have RB Leipzig and Arsenal in the following seven days followed by Brighton in the EFL Cup, which is when he will likely get a full rest after starting in those three encounters. Instead of returning to training on Wednesday next week, he will arrive far earlier and it will be a boost to have a key player refreshed ahead of a big month.