Trevor Sinclair has hit out at Frank de Boer for his comments regarding Liverpool powerhouse Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutch centre-back hasn’t kicked a ball for the Reds since October after being ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Even Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he does not expect to have Van Dijk available until next season at the very earliest.
The former Southampton defender, who placed second in the Ballon d’Or stakes behind Lionel Messi in 2019, is a huge player for the reigning Premier League champions and therefore they’ll be keen not to rush him back.
But the Netherlands boss revealed earlier this week that he’s only around eight weeks away from being available for selection, meaning that De Boer could potentially include him in his squad for Euro 2020.
Quite a lot of Liverpool fans have reacted negatively to the idea of Van Dijk returning too soon and therefore potentially breaking down again, and Sinclair claims it is of ‘paramount’ importance that De Boer does not overlook the 29-year-old’s fitness for the sake of the Netherlands’ results.
He told talkSPORT: “You’ve got to think about the players recovery and I mean full recovery and welfare. It has got to be paramount.
“He’s a top player worth £100 million plus and for me this stinks as win at all costs for Frank de Boer. I think the best thing is the cautious approach. Get a pre-season and lets get Virgil van Dijk back to stay back, not just come back to break down again because he’s been rushed back.”
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