Former Liverpool attacker Boudewijn Zenden has praised Virgil Van Dijk and Cody Gakpo during the international break.
Van Dijk has come in for immense criticism from Netherlands journalists over the past year.
Gakpo is another who has struggled, primarily for Liverpool, to find his best form.
"The expectations about Van Dijk are based on what he has shown at Liverpool in the past," Zenden told Soccernews.nl.
"But what we should not forget is that he had a long injury. I can say from experience that you need time after that to get back to your level. He also suffered a second injury after his first one. You can't separate that. He will need some time to get back to his old self.
"The same might go for Cody Gakpo, who is injured now and won't be able to play for a few weeks. I hope when he returns he will quickly pick up his good form from last season."