euro target Virgil van Dijk's eagerness to return to action ahead of schedule may not be welcomed by Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said Holland captain Virgil Van Dijk and England’s Joe Gomez will not be fit for Euro 2020 (Phil Noble/NMC Pool)

Kevin Palmer

March 20 2021 11:55 PM

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is desperate to defy medical experts and return to action this season, after setting his heart on playing in this summer's European Championships, according to widespread reports.

Holland head coach Frank De Boer suggested last year that Van Dijk was hopeful of being fit for this summer's re-arranged Euro finals, as he looks to battle back from a cruciate ligament injury.

Now reports emerging from Holland and widely reported in the UK media suggest that target is still very much at the forefront of Van Dijk's mind, even though Liverpool's medical chiefs are keen for him to be ready for the start of pre-season training in July.

Van Dijk has been posting regular videos on his social media feeds showing his recovery, with Liverpool fans encouraged by the sight of the centre-back returning to the grass at the club's training base and working with a ball in recent weeks.

Small steps for Virgil van Dijk but he is clearly edging closer to a return. This is a sight to lift the hearts of all Liverpool fans #LFC pic.twitter.com/UHQhjyNbsu
— Kevin Palmer 💙 (@RealKevinPalmer) March 6, 2021

Yet manager Jurgen Klopp has gone on record to suggest Van Dijk is highly unlikely to play again this season, as he wants him to focus on being fit for the start of the next campaign in August.

"I don’t know where these things are coming from – nobody really, no doctor, nobody really told me there’s a chance for Virgil to play in this season again," said Klopp last month.

"I don’t want to say that’s absolutely impossible but it’s not likely. It’s not likely. We don’t have to discuss these things really. We hope for nearly a miracle. That’s it."

Holland could call Van Dijk into their squad for this summer's Euro finals and make their own medical assessment on whether he is fit to play, but that would put them on a collision course with Liverpool.

Now it remains to be seen whether Van Dijk can produce the miracle Klopp mentions and play against this season, as he may have a dream of playing in the Champions League final in Istanbul on May 29th and the Euro finals starting in early June.