Jurgen Klopp does not want Holland to jeopardize Virgil van Dijk's career by rushing him back for this summer's European Championship.
The Dutch defender excited fans by posting a video of himself running on the training ground last week as he continued his recovery.
Van Dijk, 29, is Holland's captain but Klopp believes it is too risky to select him for the rearranged Euro 2020 tournament, which begins on June 11.
The Liverpool manager said: ‘’I don't want to hold Virgil back but you can't force it as well. You are all long enough in the business to know that if you want to play you have to train before – and proper football training.
‘'It takes weeks. Not a week before. You cannot be 10 or 11 months out, train for one week and then play football. That is not possible, it should not be possible.
‘'No one is holding Virgil back – we cannot force it, and we will not, so nobody should force it and nobody will.
‘’Not Holland, not us and not Virgil as well. It's just about getting as fit as possible.
‘’So I don't know. But in the end it's a decision of Virgil.”
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Holland play Scotland on June 2 and Georgia on June 6 in warm-up matches before they begin their tournament against Ukraine in Amsterdam on June 13. Austria and North Macedonia also feature in their group.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
