Xavi Hernández loses Jan Paul van Hecke: injury rules him out

Jan Paul van Hecke is ruled out for Xavi Hernández’s Netherlands for tomorrow’s trip to Greece in Thessaloniki, with the Group A2 top spot at stake. It’s the third absence for the Dutch squad following earlier losses of Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.

The defender picked up a blow to his foot on Sunday during the match against Serbia in Belgrade, the game in which Xavi earned his first win as Netherlands coach (1-2) after drawing 1-1 with Jürgen Klopp’s Germany in Amsterdam. Although he finished that game, he left training just minutes after it started due to strong pain and returned to London to be assessed by Tottenham.

In his pre-match press conference, Xavi said he hasn’t ruled out Virgil van Dijk moving across to cover the vacancy, though the most likely option is Jurriën Timber. Van Hecke will miss not only Greece, but also next Sunday’s clash with Serbia at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven.