Loris Karius has praised Virgil van Dijk, who he reckons has helped his own reintegration into the side.
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The German is now the first-choice keeper, while Van Dijk will be one of the first names on the team-sheet when fully fit.
On Sunday against Southampton, the Dutchman put in his best performance since signing for Liverpool, laughing off the boos, winning all his headers and bringing the ball out from the back with aplomb.
“Virgil has played quite a bit now and we’re getting more used to each other – that’s important for the team,” Karius told the Echo.
“He’s a top player – that’s why Liverpool paid the price they did for him. Of course he has to adapt a bit because our style is so different. We defend high. He needs to get used to Dejan (Lovren) and Joel (Matip).
“But the more he gets used to our style, he’s finding his feet more and more. It’s good to see and as a keeper you feel comfortable having players like that in front of you. The clean sheet was great for all of us.”
One of things we like most about van Dijk is his communication.
The £75m-man is constantly barking orders to his backline and continually encourages Karius behind him to come forward and sweep up through-balls.
On about three or four occasions when both have been playing, van Dijk visibly instructs Karius what to do, which is exactly what we expect of the world’s most expensive defender.
His outing at St. Mary’s was exceptional, in short, as was Karius’s. Long may it continue.