Virgil van Dijk has claimed he’s heard Liverpool’s preseason is going to be ‘very intense’ as Jurgen Klopp seeks to get his team back competing for silverware next term.
After being just games away from completing the quadruple last season the Reds have struggled for consistency for the majority of the current campaign and are unlikely to achieve a top four finish.
The Netherlands captain is already excited about next season and the prospect of welcoming new faces into the squad this summer.
The Dutch defender said (as quoted by FourFourTwo): “The noises I’m hearing, it’s going to be a very intense pre-season with a lot of physical work but also a lot of tactical work trying to get ready for a tough season. That’s very exciting. Players are leaving; hopefully, players come in and will be ready for the start of pre-season.”
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Despite it currently looking unlikely that Klopp’s side will be competing in Europe’s premier competition next season the former Southampton man believes that won’t impact the Reds’ transfer business.
Our No. 4 claimed that if he was a player potentially looking for a new club this summer than he’d be ‘very, very interested’ in Liverpool if we came knocking.
“Will no Champions League make it harder to recruit? No,” van Dijk continued. “Pre-season will be massive. Everybody knows we’ve been going through a little bit of a transition and, if I’m a player on the rise and I have options to go to the next step and Liverpool is knocking on my door, then I would be very, very interested. I don’t think it’s going to change much, but, if someone wants to play in the Champions League no matter what, then that’s their ambition.”
Missing out on the top four is of course a huge blow but Klopp has already insisted that he’s looking forward to our Europa League campaign.
Let’s hope we can complete some decent business in the transfer market this summer and attack next season head on!
As long as very intense and physical doesn’t mean another season of catastrophic injuries