Liverpool duo left out of provisional Netherlands squad for November internationals

Liverpool stars Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch have been left out of the provisional Netherlands' squad ahead of next month's internationals.

Announced on Friday, neither Gakpo nor Gravenberch made the cut for manager Ronald Koeman's 26-man selection for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar in November.

There was, however, space for Liverpool and Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk.

The Netherlands all but secured qualification for next summer's Euros in Germany last month when Van Dijk stepped up to net a stoppage-time penalty away at Group B rivals Greece.

Neither Ireland nor Gibraltar have a chance of making the tournament, meaning Van Dijk and co should secure automatic qualification comfortably in the final round of group fixtures next month.

Gravenberch has not been selected for Netherlands since he turned down a call-up to the Under-21 side in September, having only just made a deadline day move to Liverpool.

The £34m midfielder opted to stay on Merseyside and acclimatise to his new surroundings rather than help defeat North Macedonia and Moldova's youth sides – a decision that sparked some controversy in his homeland.

Gravenberch has since gone on to register two goals and two assists for his new club, impressing Jurgen Klopp who insisted the young midfielder is 'not even halfway [to] where he can be'.

Asked about the situation before the October internationals, Koeman did not rule out picking Gravenberch for the senior team in the future despite his transgression.

The former Everton manager is quoted as saying, via NU.nl: "We have a certain opinion about players who opt out of the Dutch Juniors or Oranje. Moreover, Gravenberch has not played much at Liverpool yet.

"I hope he will develop further at Liverpool. He is a great talent. If he plays a lot at his club, he is always an option for the Dutch team."

Meanwhile, Gakpo is another notable absentee for the Netherlands squad.

The 24-year-old forward missed the October clashes with France and Greece as he recovered from a knee injury and it is possible he hasn't played enough football since to be considered by Koeman.

The Liverpool number 18 is one of several fitness doubts not selected – with Noa Lang, Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay and Sven Botman all also missing.

With eight goals in 19 senior caps, Gakpo is perhaps the Netherlands' best attacking option and is sure to return for future squads.

As this is the provisional announcement, there is also a chance he could be added to the team at a later date, with the final squad to be named on 10 November.