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Holland manager Ronald Koeman has claimed Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has played the last month with two broken ribs.

Van Dijk has been troubled with a rib problem in recent weeks, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp revealing the defender initially suffered the issue ahead of the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain in September.

The 27-year-old aggravated the injury against Southampton the following weekend, prompting his substitution, but has since played through the pain barrier for the Reds in their games against Chelsea, Napoli and Manchester City.

Van Dijk scored for Holland in their 3-0 UEFA Nations League win over Germany on Saturday, but was then released from the squad for Tuesday night's friendly against Belgium after consultation with Liverpool.

And now Koeman has addressed the extent of the problem while suggesting the centre-back has been undergoing a serious of injections to get through games for the Reds.

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Speaking to De Telegraaf(as cited by SportsWitness): “Virgil has been playing with two broken ribs for weeks and has been constantly injecting to play at Liverpool in recent weeks.

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“He insisted on being present against Germany. That’s great, because you want internationals who want to be here at the expense of everything.

“The club would have preferred him there. But he said that he wanted to play against Germany. If you get something, you also have to give something back (to the club).”