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Virgil van Dijk , the Liverpool defender, has played with two broken ribs for several weeks, according to the Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman .
The 27-year-old completed 90 minutes and scored in Saturday’s 3-0 Nations League victory over Germany but will play no part in their friendly against Belgium on Tuesday night.
Koeman revealed an agreement was reached with Liverpool’s medical staff that Van Dijk would play through the pain barrier once before returning to Merseyside.
Show all 23 1 /23Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings <b>Liverpool:</b> Alisson: 6 out of 10 Not his busiest afternoon. Looked uncomfortable in possession a couple of times but nothing egregious.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Joe Gomez: 6 out of 10 More of a centre-back than a right-back and Liverpool missed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ability to get forward on the right. Defensively solid, as you would expect.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Dejan Lovren: 8 out of 10 Perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty on Aguero in the first half, and on Jesus in the second, but otherwise a good performance with some crucial challenges. Rewarded his manager’s bold call to bring the Croatian in.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Virgil van Djik: 7 out of 10 Probably a leading contender for man of the match until his late transgression. A fairly needless challenge on Sane with the German likely running the ball out of play. Otherwise magnificent (again).
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Andrew Robertson: 6 out of 10 Kept Riyad Mahrez virtually silent throughout the game, but wasn’t his usual self in terms of attacking threat.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum: 6 out of 10 Hard work as ever from the Dutchman. Unable to impact the game going forward.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Jordan Henderson: 7 out of 10 Lead from the front with a battling performance in midfield. Composed on the ball and tackled excellently.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings James Milner: 6 out of 10 Substituted in the first half with a hamstring injury. Impressed early on, and Liverpool perhaps missed his experience and delivery when he went off.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Mohamed Salah: 5 out of 10 Still doesn't look himself. Wasted a couple of opportunities and the front-three’s lack of cohesion will be a concern for Jurgen Klopp.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Roberto Firmino: 6 out of 10 Pressed superbly and tracked back notably well. Not a vintage performance from any of Liverpool’s star offensive trio against a tough Manchester City defence.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Sadio Mane: 6 out of 10 See Salah and Firmino. Mane was similarly ineffective getting forward but worked hard.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings <b>Substitute:</b> Naby Keita: 6 out of 10 Tidy performance after coming off the bench in the first half. Positionally very solid.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings <b>Manchester City:</b> Ederson: 6 out of 10 No major errors, which is a positive given what happened last season. Liverpool’s press worried him early on but otherwise comfortable with the ball at this feet. No real saves to make.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Kyle Walker: 6 out of 10 Restricted going forward aside from one moment where he bizarrely chopped back inside. Defensively solid.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings John Stones: 7 out of 10 Overcame early nerves to perform well alongside Laporte. Salah only really got beyond the pair once and Stones used the ball nicely when stepping out of defence.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Aymeric Laporte: 8 out of 10 Perhaps his best performance in a Manchester City shirt. Virtually faultless after the aforementioned early shakiness. Several superb challenges and interceptions.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Benjamin Mendy: 7 out of 10 Guardiola will be very pleased to have Mendy fit again. Showed his defensive steel, not giving Salah and co. an inch. Looked one of Manchester City’s more dangerous players when he got forward. A couple of poor passes but otherwise a strong return to action.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Fernandinho: 6 out of 10 Somehow escaped the game without a yellow card despite several booking-worthy challenges, but broke up play well and sparked several attacks for his team. Shielded his defence well.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Bernardo Silva: 7 out of 10 Probably the best non-defender on the pitch. Playing in what was, for all intents and purposes, a two-man defensive midfield pairing, Silva was excellent, breaking up play and playing clever little passes. Showed his electric dribbling ability more than once, too. Impressive performance from a man who continues to show his versatility.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings David Silva: 6 out of 10 An intriguing tactical switch from Guardiola to deploy David Silva in a different role just in behind Sergio Aguero. Silva was less influential than he typically is, but worried the Liverpool midfield and knocked them off rhythm.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Raheem Sterling: 5 out of 10 Quiet and struggled to make an impact in the final third. Sterling didn’t look entirely comfortable on the left wing. Substituted with 15 minutes to go.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Riyad Mahrez: 4 out of 10 Awful, awful penalty miss, and in truth it characterised a lacklustre showing from Mahrez. He hasn’t really found his place in this Manchester City team and used the ball poorly in the final third throughout.
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Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Sergio Aguero: 5 out of 10 Continued his lean run against Liverpool and was anonymous for most of the 65-or-so minutes he was on the pitch. Contributed little.
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“Virgil has played with two broken ribs in the last weeks,” he said. “He wanted to play against Germany but you have to give the club something back now.
“He’s back to Liverpool and he’s ready to play for next week. He takes a rest. He spoke to the manager [Jurgen Klopp].
“The medical staff of the Dutch national team spoke to the medical staff of Liverpool and made the decision that he was playing only the Germany game and then after back to Liverpool.”
Van Dijk’s rib issue was known prior to his international call-up, having sustained the problem in Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain last month, though the extent of the injury was unclear.
The Dutch international is expected to be fit for Liverpool’s trip to Huddersfield Town on Saturday, with Koeman additionally claiming: “He is ready to play next weekend.”
Liverpool are also waiting on the fitness of Sadio Mané, who suffered a thumb injury on duty with Senegal, and Mohamed Salah, who picked up a muscle problem in Egypt’s win over Swaziland.
James Milner, who was substituted in the goalless draw with Manchester City before the international break, is Klopp’s other doubt for the trip to Huddersfield.
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