Liverpool star Gini Wijnaldum named new captain of the Netherlands

Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum has been named as the new skipper of the Netherlands national team by Frank de Boer. The Dutchman was forced to name a new skipper in the wake of Virgil van Dijk's potential season-ending injury after the Liverpool man's clash with Jordan Pickford.

Wijnaldum is one of the most experienced names on what is a relatively young Netherlands roster, and is now expected to lead the Oranje for the foreseeable future.

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Netherlands coach Frank de Boer heaps praise on Liverpool star Wijnaldum

Wijnaldum replaces his Netherlands and Liverpool teammate Van Dijk as the Oranje's skipper

Speaking on his new captain, the Netherlands coach expressed to NOS;

"It’s of course sad that Virgil [van Dijk] is not there. That’s a great loss. You only need to look at his achievements in recent years and what kind of personality he is within the group. But as always: as the one king falls away, the next king must rise. Gini [Wijnaldum] is a real connector. You saw that when the racism issue was topical. He then took the pioneering role."

The injury to his Liverpool teammate Van Dijk came as a crushing blow to both the Reds as well as the Oranje, ahead of a string of important fixtures for both club and country. Pickford received an immense amount of criticism for his unwarranted challenge on the Dutchman during what was a heated Merseyside derby.

10 - Virgil van Dijk has scored his 10th @premierleague goal for Liverpool - more than any other centre back in the competition since his PL debut for the Reds in January 2018. Each of his last nine such goals have been headed. Mountain. pic.twitter.com/vbmrlRMTsr

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 12, 2020

Olympique Lyon and Dutch star Memphis Depay, in particular, was scathing in his assessment of the tackle from the English goalkeeper on his compatriot. The former Manchester United forward remarked;

"I didn’t see the [Pickford's] tackle myself. I must say I saw him [Van Dijk] walk off the pitch afterward. When I saw the play, I did use some words that I’m not going to repeat. It’s bizarre that you can injure someone like that. I’ll leave it at that. It hurts the whole team, but he hurts the most."

Van Dijk's Liverpool teammate Wijnaldum revealed that the defender is 'going through hell' right now as he is currently recuperating from his injury.

2 - Georginio Wijnaldum remains the only substitute to score twice in a match for Liverpool in the knockout stages of any major European competition. Super. https://t.co/iTopqSnXYJ pic.twitter.com/ubMyJ7vHk5

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 7, 2020

The midfielder and new Oranje skipper said on his teammate's situation;

"Virgil [van Dijk] is going through hell right now, I don't have to explain that to you. This is the worst thing that can happen to you as a footballer. He should enjoy his family now and with God's will he can come back. Our conversations on Facetime are very nice."

The Netherlands are set to partake in the UEFA Nations League with games lined up against Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Liverpool, on the other hand, are for a couple of crucial fixtures against Leicester City in the Premier League and Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League.

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