Eredivisie season cancelled last month with Groningen unable to fulfil their remaining eight fixtures
Last Updated: 16/05/20 11:13pm
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is raising funds for former club Groningen by holding a raffle for four season tickets he has bought from the club for the coming season.
The finances of Dutch clubs have taken a hit following last month’s cancellation of the Eredivisie season due to the coronavirus pandemic, with mid-table Groningen – the club where Van Dijk made his professional debut nine years ago – unable to fulfil their last eight fixtures.
Van Dijk moved to Celtic in 2013 before joining Southampton two seasons later ahead of his January 2018 switch to Merseyside for a then-world record £75m fee for a defender.
But Van Dijk has not forgotten his footballing roots and provided details on Saturday of his plan to help his former club and give fans the opportunity to get their hands on a Groningen season ticket.
“I bought four season tickets for the coming season,” the Liverpool centre-back wrote on Twitter.
“I help with this @fcgroningen in this difficult time.
“The season tickets are ultimately raffled among fans who cannot purchase one themselves.”
Enrique: I would be happy to play
Premier League clubs will hold their latest emergency conference call on ‘Project Restart’ on Monday, where – amongst other things – a vote is expected to take place on a return to training in small groups.
Liverpool are 25 points clear of Manchester City and would need just two wins to clinch their first title in 30 years if the Premier League is able to resume.
Jose Enrique made 99 appearances across five seasons at Liverpool, ending in 2016
Retired former Liverpool full-back Jose Enrique says he thinks would have no issue returning to action if he was still playing.
“For me, health is the most important thing but if I was a player, I would be happy to play.” Enrique told Sky Sports News.
“Obviously, everyone will say you’re not playing anymore, and it’s easy to say – but I believe I would do. Other ex-players agree with me, and I believe the players will be more controlled.
“They will be having tests almost every day. If something happens and a player gets coronavirus, they are already planning for how they are going to handle it.”