Van Dijk, Gomez unlikely to be fit for Euro 2020 – Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes it is “unlikely” Virgil van Dijk or Joe Gomez will feature at Euro 2020 this year.

Netherlands star van Dijk has been sidelined since October after suffering a serious knee injury, while England defender Gomez has been out since November due to a knee injury.

The European Championship was pushed back to this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and is set to begin on June 11.

Klopp said he did not expect van Dijk or Gomez to be ready for the tournament after their serious injuries.

“That’s not my decision, but to be honest, the information I have in the moment [is] it will be unlikely,” he said.

“So, not that I don’t let them go because I don’t want to have to do that anyway, but it’s because of the extent of the injury. We all hope that they will be ready to start the pre-season with us. That’s what we hope.

“And, by the way, with Joel [Matip] it’s pretty much the same, he’s just not qualified for the Euros but it’s with him the same.

pic.twitter.com/RjiiAGzM6B

— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) March 6, 2021

“These are really serious injuries. And it’s not about now that we talk [about] which competition they can play. As far as I know – and I’m always open for positive surprises, now they all of a sudden show up in team training – but nobody told me that.

“The two of them [Gomez and Van Dijk] look in the moment better than Joel looks because he’s still in his [what] looks like skiing boots. But he is here as well. Joe is not running, Virgil is already running, but this is really a tough one.

“We are completely over the moon when they are ready to train with us for the start of pre-season. About the Euros, I didn’t think about it.

“I don’t know when you would have to be back that you are able to play the Euros. The week before? The day when the Euros start? I don’t know. That’s it. I understand maybe the need of that but we cannot make this decision and we will not.

“It’s just about when they will be fit, they will be fit. That’s how it is.”

The Netherlands will face Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia in Group C, while England will take on Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic in Group D.