Virgil van Dijk has been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands national team’s November camp with an injury that has been reportedly plaguing him for the best part of a month.

Andoni Iraola has already been stung by ‘FIFA virus.’ Liverpool’s Basque boss watched Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai hobble out of the elongated fall window earlier this season. When fears surfaced about a repeat problem for Szoboszlai this month, Iraola fretted: “The last thing we need now is to lose players in the international games.”

Iraola admitted that he would be “praying” for a clean bill of health. As the legendary former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley put it: “You keep your fingers crossed about injuries. That is in the lap of the gods.”

Liverpool’s manager may have Van Dijk in his thoughts after this latest development.

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What Injury Does Van Dijk Have?

The briefing surrounding the news of Van Dijk’s international withdrawal lived up to its name: it was brief. The Liverpool captain was simply described as “not fit enough” to feature.

That Van Dijk is even still eligible for international duty was no guarantee. The 35-year-old had to be convinced by incoming head coach Xavi Hernández to retain the armband, racking up a century of caps against Serbia last month.

Iraola has been similarly dependent on the center back, starting Van Dijk in all 10 Premier League fixtures this season. The veteran was afforded a rare rest in the Champions League, although he saw his side ship three goals after coming off the bench against LASK.

Van Dijk didn’t start that fixture after coming out of the preceding 3–0 loss to Manchester City worse for wear. “I had a little knock in the end on my calf which is pretty painful,” the Dutchman told reporters. The Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele subsequently revealed that Van Dijk has been “managing a little niggle” since that point.

When Will Van Dijk Be Fit Again?

The severity of Van Dijk’s ailment has been played down. The durable defender clearly has the capacity to play through the pain barrier, particularly if the occasion calls for it. The Netherlands is in a strong position to qualify for the Nations League quarterfinals and boasts a wealth of defensive cover for its captain—Ronald Koeman’s issue was always playing too many center backs for the national team.

If this is a precaution, it would make sense from a Liverpool perspective. The Reds return from the international break with a crunch clash against fierce rivals Manchester United, a fixture Van Dijk has not missed since recovering from his torn ACL in 2021.

While there is still plenty of work to do with Liverpool’s chance creation, Van Dijk has been part of a much-improved rearguard, with four clean sheets from the clubs previous eight Premier League games.