Why is Virgil van Dijk not in Liverpool squad for pre-season friendly vs Wrexham
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Need to knowLiverpool face Wrexham in their second pre-season fixture over in the United StatesVirgil van Dijk is not yet back at base for Liverpool(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)Why is Virgil van Dijk not in Liverpool's squad to face Wrexham?Absence explained: Virgil van Dijk captained the Netherlands at the World Cup over the summer and led his team to the round of 32. With this game ending on June 30, Andoni Iraola has given the towering defender extra time off to recover ahead of the new season.When will Van Dijk return to training?: The Reds captain should now be back at the Merseyside training base alongside Cody Gakpo and Alisson Becker, who were also left out of Liverpool's pre-season tour in the United States.
This means he will miss the game against Wrexham.What has the manager said?: Andoni Iraola said: "They will, in terms of dates of training, be very similar but they will start training at the AXA in Liverpool. Because of different reasons, especially Virgil because he has been the player with most minutes in Europe I would say, and Cody for other reasons, they are going to start training basically in the same week as the others but instead of making them come here with the team, we considered that it was sensible with them to start the first week training with a small group or even with younger players that are at the AXA and join us when we [return]."Next game Van Dijk can play in: The defender will be available again when Liverpool take on Monaco at Anfield on August 9.
The Reds will also face Como on August 16 for their final pre-season clash ahead of the new Premier League season.READ MORE: Liverpool's current strongest XI - Strengths, weaknesses and what Reds desperately need nowThousands of Liverpool fans upgraded their matchday last season. Learn moreOfficial premium experiences at Anfield are available now for the 26/27 Premier League season.