Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has insisted that he is 'fine' following an injury scare during the Netherlands' 6-1 thrashing of Turkey in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.
The centre-back enjoyed a solid outing in the big Dutch win, although Liverpool fans were left with their hearts in their mouths when he collided with Turkish forward Halil Dervisoglu late.
The incident occurred as Dervisoglu pressed Van Dijk after receiving a short pass from Oranje goalkeeper Justin Bijlow. In the process of winning the ball, the Turk caught the Netherlands captain on the ankle before laying the ball off for Cengiz Under to grab a consolation.
Despite looking to be in pain, Van Dijk later confirmed there is nothing to be concerned about.
"I’m fine, luckily. I’m already over it," he told reporters after the game. "Maybe because I am so big, they think I am acting, because when I go down, it happens in quite a slow way."
Liverpool will be keen to keep their main defensive presence as healthy as possible throughout the campaign, given the injury issues he has suffered over the course of the last year.
Van Dijk was injured in last October's Merseyside derby, suffering an ACL injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2020/21 season and massively impacted Liverpool's attempt at retaining their Premier League title.
The 30-year-old also ruled himself out of Euro 2020 with the national team. The Dutch team then exited the competition disappointingly when knocked out by Czech Republic in the last 16.
Van Dijk has played 90 minutes in all three of Liverpool's Premier League games so far this season and fans will hope to see him in action once more when domestic action resumes on Sunday with a potentially tricky trip to face Leeds at Elland Road.
Source : 90min
