Liverpool star makes retirement prediction; explains that he doesn’t mind ruffling team-mate feathers

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Virgil van Dijk reckons he’s got nine more years at the highest level – which gives him plenty of time to secure multiple trophies with Liverpool!

The Dutchman was speaking on a podcast about how he’s coming into his peak defensive years and that he now enjoys the burden of leadership both on the field and off it.

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Van Dijk explained how on the pitch, he’ll say it exactly how it is to his team-mates in order to organise appropriately.

“I’m 27, hopefully I can play if I’m still enjoying it until at least 36,” he told BBC’s Football Daily podcast. “After that, you can’t really play at the highest level anymore, so you have to enjoy it.

“Sometimes in training we do youngies against oldies, and I’m with the oldies. We have so many young guys, we have Ki-Jana Hoever who is 17, and I’m getting really old! You have to enjoy every bit of it.

“You always need to be myself, and being myself is always saying what I think. I’m pretty relaxed and easy off the pitch, but on the pitch I want to make sure we are going to do everything possible to win the game,” van Dijk continued.

“I know myself, I know I need to be vocal, I need to be busy and shouting. Even if I shout too much, I don’t mind.

“Players know it, I’d rather be making sure everybody is at. That’s something I’ve learned over the years, and I know it can work.”

Our best player this season didn’t play against Bayern Munich on Tuesday due to a suspension, but despite our clean-sheet, you can be 100% certain he’ll be back in the team for Sunday’s clash with Manchester United!

We reckon van Dijk will start alongside Joel Matip at the back, with Dejan Lovren unlikely to be rushed back for such a big fixture, given his propensity for mistakes when the pressure is on.

United are in tremendous form and it’ll take one of the performances of the season to emerge from Old Trafford with a win.

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