Netherlands head coach Xavi says Brian Brobbey was 'suffering some problems' in the aftermath of Sunderland's win over Chelsea last Sunday.

The Dutch national team announced on Monday that Brobbey and Liverpool defender had withdrawn from the squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, stating that neither were 'fit enough' to feature. Sunderland have not commented on the nature of Brobbey's issue or the extent of it, but it appears from Xavi's comments that he did not travel to link up with his international team mates for the current camp.

Ahead of the clash with Greece on Friday evening, Xavi was asked if he was surprised or disappointed with Brobbey and Van Dijk's withdrawal but made clear that he was not.

"No [not a surprise or a disappointment]," Xavi said.

"We were in contact with both. They were suffering some problems. We were in contact with Brian and then Virgil came, and they are not available for the game. It is a pity for us because they are very important players for us but they are not available."

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Speaking immediately after the win over Chelsea, Régis Le Bris said that he still expected Brobbey to go on international duty but that he hoped his minutes would be managed.

He said: "We need to manage him because he's still on the edge from a freshness point of view, so I hope we'll be smart together to manage him properly."

Le Bris is expected to issue an update on Brobbey and midfielder Granit Xhaka at his pre Aston Villa press conference next week.