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Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has ruled himself out of playing for the Netherlands at this summer’s European Championship.
The Dutch defender has been out of action since October when a reckless tackle by Everton’s Jordan Pickford led to a ruptured cruciate ligament in his knee that required surgery.
The 29-year-old is confident he will be available for Liverpool’s pre-season training but told the club’s website: “In this latest stage for myself, I have come to a decision that I had to make: would I be involved in the Euros, yes or no?
“With everything that is going on, I feel physically it is the right decision that I’ve decided not to go to the Euros and to go into my last phase of rehab during the off-season. So, the full focus will be on pre-season with the club and that’s a realistic goal, so I am looking forward to that.
