'Minor complaints' - Liverpool star trained separately from international squad as fitness update given

Ronald Koeman has given a fresh update on why Virgil van Dijk has left the Netherlands’ camp.

Liverpool captain Van Dijk has travelled back to Merseyside and won’t play for Oranje in their Nations League fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina this evening. That’s despite the centre-back skippering the Netherlands to a 4-0 win over Hungary last weekend.

Koeman previously admitted that Van Dijk would return to Liverpool ‘on medical grounds’. The Reds then confirmed that the 33-year-old will undergo ‘assessment’ at the AXA Training Centre.

Given Liverpool’s busy fixture schedule, Netherlands boss Koeman felt it was wise for Van Dijk to depart international duty prematurely. The ex-Barcelona and Everton chief also admitted that the defender missed some training sessions last week because of ‘minor complaints’.

Koeman, speaking before the Bosnia encounter, said: "Virgil had some minor complaints, he already had that last week. He trained separately last week until Wednesday. Also considering the program that these types of players have to complete; he always plays everything. That is why we decided to send him back to the club."

Liverpool will be hoping that Van Dijk comes back unscathed ahead of Sunday’s trip to his former club Southampton. Arne Slot’s top the Premier League table by five points - and face current champions Manchester City on Sunday 1 December. Between the two top-flight games is the visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, 27 November. The Reds sit at the summit of the European standings, having won all four games so far.