Virgil van Dijk has admitted that this season was a ‘shock’ for himself but is motivated by Liverpool’s strong end to the campaign.
The Dutchman was criticised at times for his defensive performances as Jurgen Klopp’s side missed out on Champions League qualification for just the second time since the German’s arrival at the club in 2015.
Injuries and poor form affected our No. 4’s campaign but he remains a vital player for the Reds and is now looking forward to getting us back to where we belong and picking up silverware.
He said (as quoted by 90min): “I still have two years left on my contract and I assume that they [Liverpool] still consider me important for the team. If not, I am sure I would have heard about it.
“My contact with the manager is good and I feel very positive about things again. The way we finished the season motivates me to go into pre-season with the new players who are coming in.
“I don’t feel too big to be vulnerable. It has been quite an intense season, with many ups and downs and people must understand that we aren’t robots.
“It has been a year in which I learned a lot – especially off the pitch, and certainly mentally. In football it’s never plain sailing – but this season was still quite a shock. Sometimes the criticism was just right, both on the team and on me individually.
“But quite often it was not quite right. Either way, you have to be able to deal with it and I’m glad I came out of it well. Mentally, that’s not always easy.”
Van Dijk has become recognised as one of the best defenders in the world since moving to Liverpool from Southampton in 2018.
His serious knee injury sustained back in 2020 may have affected his performances and potentially his confidence but there’s no doubt that we’re much stronger side when he’s on the pitch.
Criticism is part of football and it’s important that players only listen to those around them.
The ex-Celtic man played a vital role as we ended the campaign unbeaten in our final 11 games and only narrowly missed out on a top four finish.
Alexis Mac Allister has already been signed from Brighton earlier this month as Klopp looks to bolster his squad but let’s hope we can get a few more deals over the line sooner rather than later to give us the best possible chance of competing on all four fronts next season.