Van Dijk leaves Netherlands squad due to personal reasons

Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk captained Netherlands to a place at Euro 2020 but a personal matter has ruled him out of facing Estonia.

Published : Nov 17, 2019 21:35 IST

Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk will be out of the match against Estonia.

Virgil van Dijk has been released from the Netherlands squad to face Estonia for personal reasons.

The Liverpool centre-back completed 90 minutes on Saturday as Ronald Koeman's side battled to a 0-0 draw in Northern Ireland, securing its place at Euro 2020 with a game to spare in qualification.

Top spot in Group C is still up for grabs heading into Tuesday's game versus Estonia at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, with Germany two points ahead going into its own match against Northern Ireland, although captain Van Dijk will not take part.

"National team coach Ronald Koeman cannot rely on VirgiI van Dijk on Tuesday against Estonia," read a short statement from the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB). 

"The captain of the Dutch national team has to [miss] the game due to personal circumstances and has since left the Oranje training camp."

Van Dijk's next engagement with Premier League leaders Liverpool is a trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.