Liverpool January signing Cody Gakpo and Newcastle United star Sven Botman have been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad for the ongoing international break.
Oranje are set to face France and Gibraltar in European qualifiers this month. Ronald Koeman, in his second stint as the national team manager, included the Reds forward and the Magpies defender in the squad.
Unfortunately for the Liverpool and Newcastle players, they will not be involved in the two matches for the national team. This has now been confirmed by KNVB, the Netherlands football association, on their official website.
KNVB further stated the players will “go home” and Koeman has already called in three replacements.
Gakpo and Botman catching a virus shouldn’t be too much of a concern for Liverpool and Newcastle in their battle to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Newcastle are currently fifth in the table with 47 points, five points ahead of the Reds, who are in sixth spot. Tottenham Hotspur are fourth with 49 points, but have played two more games than the Tyneside club and Liverpool.
