Netherlands boss Frank de Boer admits he "said some bad words" when he saw Virgil van Dijk go down in the Merseyside derby.

The Liverpool defender will likely miss the rest of this season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury after getting on the wrong end of a terrible tackle from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

And van Dijk could potentially miss next year's European Championship if he doesn't recover in time.

"I saw it live. I was shocked. I said some bad words," De Boer said on Tuesday ahead of a friendly against Spain on Wednesday.

"It was a shock, because he's such an important player, our captain, and he's so important in our squad. We will miss him."