March 25, (THEWILL) – Dutch football fans will be relieved to hear that defender, Matthijs de Ligt and uncapped goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, have returned to training after being forced to leave the squad last Thursday, due to a virus infection.
Although they missed Friday’s Euro 2024 Group B qualifying opener against France, they have recovered sufficiently to be in contention for selection for Monday’s game against Gibraltar in Rotterdam.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other three players, who were also sent home due to flu-like symptoms. There was no update on the condition of Sven Botman, Cody Gakpo, and Joey Veerman. In addition, the Dutch team have lost two more players due to injuries.
Lutsharel Geertruida suffered a hamstring injury after making his debut against France, while centre-back, Stefan de Vrij, returned to Italy to be with his girlfriend as she was due to give birth.
Despite their setbacks, the Dutch are still favoured to win Monday’s game against Gibraltar. The tiny British Overseas Territory lost their opening game 3-0 at home to Greece and will be up against a Dutch team eager to make amends for their disappointing performance against France.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
