Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has expressed his shock at the breakout in the Holland camp which saw Cody Gakpo among five to be sent home.
The 23-year-old saw his international break end prematurely, and before a ball had even been kicked, after he was sent home due to a viral outbreak in Ronald Koeman's camp. It has since been claimed that there is a strong belief that a 'chicken curry' caused the problems ahead of their clash with France.
Bayern Munich defender Matthijs De Ligt and Newcastle United centre-back Sven Botman were among those who saw their duty with Oranje cut short. For Gakpo, he was looking to continue the exploits at the World Cup prior to his move to Anfield as he joined up with his international compatriots for the first time since signing for Liverpool in January.
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However, Van Dijk has partially dismissed the notion that food was the cause for the illness spreading describing the chicken curry as "delicious."
"I don't know where that story comes from. I also ate chicken curry myself and it was delicious. Whether that is the cause? No idea. No one has an idea. I can't imagine," he told NOS.
"It was very strange. In our group app, messages suddenly came through that some boys were going home, that they were ill. That was a bit of a shock."
After their clash with the World Cup finalists in Paris on Friday, they face minnows Gibraltar in their second 2024 European Championships qualifier.
This month's internationals mark an opportunity for the Liverpool stalwart to add to his 54 caps at international level as he is due to lead out Koeman's side as skipper - an honour he has had since 2018.
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