According to a club statement, Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad due to a virus outbreak in the camp. Prior to the current international break, the 23-year-old Gakpo and his club teammate Virgil van Dijk were summoned to international duty.
He was likely to lead his team in their March 24 and March 27 2024 UEFA Euro qualifiers against Gibraltar and France, respectively. However, on Thursday, March 23, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) made the announcement that five players were permitted to leave the team due to illness.
Apart from the Reds’ attacker, the four other stars are Bart Verbruggen, Joey Veerman, Sven Botman, and Matthijs de Ligt. Later, a club statement confirmed Gakpo’s withdrawal and provided the following details:
“During the current March international break, Cody Gakpo has withdrawn from international duty with the Netherlands. The forward had joined his country, but the Dutch Football Association has confirmed that he has left due to illness.
He was included in his country’s 2024 European Championship qualifying matches against Gibraltar and France, but he will now recover outside the squad.” Before being permitted to resume training, Gakpo, who secured a winter switch to Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven for an initial payment of £37 million, will undergo an evaluation.
Before their Premier League away match against Manchester City, the Reds’ players who are not on international duty will regroup at the AXA Training Centre at the beginning of the following week. Gakpo has scored four goals in 14 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s PSV team this season, including 30 goals in 24 games across all competitions.
Due to an injury to his ankle, Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez will not play for Uruguay: Reports
El Observador reports that Darwin Nunez, a summer signing for Liverpool, has withdrawn from Uruguay’s international duty due to an ankle issue. The Reds informed the authorities in charge of the national team about the cut on his leg.
A statement was issued by the Uruguay Football Federation (AUF) that read: “Due to an injury, Darwin Nunez will not participate, so the Uruguayan team’s interim technical director, Marcelo Broli, called Jonathan Rodrguez instead.
On March 24, Uruguay will play the Japanese team at the National Stadium, and on March 28, they will play South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.” In 33 games, Nunez, who came to Liverpool from Benfica for £64 million last summer, has scored 14 goals and provided four assists.