Virgil van Dijk will endure knee surgical procedure and is dealing with a battle to play once more this season after scans confirmed that the Liverpool defender suffered an anterior cruciate ligament harm throughout Saturday’s 2-2 draw in opposition to Everton.
Van Dijk was injured within the fifth minute of the 237th Merseyside derby following a problem by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, which went unpunished by match referee Michael Oliver and VAR officers.
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Though Van Dijk was capable of stroll off the pitch following therapy by the Liverpool physiotherapist, scans confirmed that the 29-year-old suffered cruciate ligament injury within the incident and, consequently, faces months on the sideline.
Liverpool sources have informed ESPN {that a} timescale on Van Dijk’s restoration interval is inconceivable to gauge till the participant has undergone surgical procedure, however sources are reluctant to rule out a return to motion this season.
The membership has but to set a date for Van Dijk’s surgical procedure due to the need for the swelling across the knee joint to subside sufficiently for the participant to be operated on. Liverpool have additionally nonetheless to determine which surgeon will take cost of the process.
The lack of Van Dijk, a £75 million signing from Southampton in January 2018, is a significant blow for Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions, who start their Champions League marketing campaign with a visit to the Netherlands to face Ajax in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Van Dijk has been an important presence on the coronary heart of Liverpool’s defence since arriving from Southampton and, till limping out of the Everton sport, had performed each minute of the crew’s 74 Premier League fixtures previous to the conflict at Goodison Park — a run relationship again to September 2018.
He has additionally develop into a key determine for the Netherlands, and his harm implies that coach Frank de Boer might be compelled to plan subsequent summer season’s Euro 2020 event with out his most skilled centre-half.
