Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk insists he is not haunted by his injury angst at Euro 2020 as the countdown to his first World Cup begins.
The Netherlands captain, whose country failed to qualify for Russia in 2018 followed a similar fate for the European Championship two years earlier, has yet to play in a major tournament.
A knee injury in a Merseyside derby in October 2020 meant he missed Euro 2020 delayed by Covid, so at the age of 31, Qatar could be his only chance to feature in a World Cup. .
But the Dutchman has no apprehension for the next few months and he certainly won’t hold back from club games in a bid to safeguard his immediate future.
“I can only speak for myself and I wouldn’t worry about myself,” said Van Dijk, who will lead his country in Nations League matches against Poland and Belgium over the next week.
“I want to go but being ready, in my opinion, is not focusing on not getting injured, it’s just continuing to play, getting fit, staying fit and having a good time.
“If you think about [getting injured]I think you’re going to have problems in my opinion.
“It’s just game by game and that includes international football. For me it’s two games against Poland and Belgium and then it’s Brighton, so that will be the focus. I’m not focusing on what’s happening in November.”
Van Dijk spent 10 months on the sidelines after a tackle by England’s Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford tore ligaments in his knee.
He returned for the start of the 2021/22 campaign and, despite concerns about how quickly he would return to his best, he made an immediate impact and was a key part of the run to an unprecedented quadruple that saw Liverpool winning the FA and Carabao Cups, reaching the Champions League final and taking the title race into the last 15 minutes of the season.
Liverpool’s start this year has been a stuttering one with two defeats – already half the number they had in 63 games last season – and three draws in eight games.
The form of the players, including Van Dijk’s, has been sketchy, but the centre-back doesn’t think the prospect of the mid-season World Cup is the reason.
“Not at all, not at all. I can assure you that is definitely not the case,” she added.
“We are not in the situation for that. I understand, from the beginning we had, everyone is looking for ‘why?’ because the difference [to last season] it’s too big, but I can assure you it’s definitely not one of the reasons.
“You focus on the game in that moment and that’s definitely what we’re doing.”
