Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal is temporarily in a wheelchair after he injured his hip during a bicycle accident.
Van Gaal, 70, had to be driven to training on Monday in a golf cart. He remained seated throughout and gave instructions to one of his assistants, Danny Blind, who passed them on to the players.
Van Gaal said that he still hoped to attend a crucial World Cup qualification match against Norway on Tuesday night. The match will be played at an empty Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam because of recent lockdown measures that came into force amid soaring COVID-19 infections.
“Physically I’m not good, but the brain is still working. I’m in a lot of pain, that’s why I was in a buggy during training,” Van Gaal told reporters. “I can still do everything and have done all the preparation that I normally would have.”
“Louis cannot walk and is in a wheelchair,” a spokesman told ESPN NL on Monday. “He will do all he can to be at tomorrow’s match.”
The Netherlands could have secured qualification for the 2022 World Cup against Montenegro on Saturday, but let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2.
They remain top of Group G, two points ahead of both Turkey and Norway. But a defeat in Rotterdam plus a Turkish win against Montenegro could see them drop to third, which would cost them their place at next year’s tournament in Qatar.
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