Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said supporting Virgil van Dijk is his priority after the talismanic Dutch defender suffered cruciate knee ligament damage that will likely end his season.
Van Dijk was on the end of a shocking challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in Saturday’s 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby that will bring to an end his run of starting the last 94 Premier League games.
The 29-year-old’s arrival from Southampton for a then world record £75 million fee for a defender in January 2018 has transformed Liverpool’s fortunes. The Reds won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League for the first time in 30 years last season.
“We are there for him, he knows that and we will wait for him like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail and will do, meanwhile, all what we can do to make it as easy for him as possible,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com.
The club have refused to put a timeframe on Van Dijk’s return, but Klopp acknowledged he was facing up to a prolonged period without one of his most important players.
“He now will be out for a while, that’s clear. We don’t want to set any timeframe, to be honest, because each player is different and each individual is different,” he added.
“So we feel now in this moment extremely, extremely for him because most of us were in a similar situation and we know that these situations are absolutely rubbish.
“You don’t need it. You don’t need it but you have to get over it and Virgil will get over it, 100 per cent, and today is already the first day, if you want, of the recovery.”
World Cup News
-
FIFA World Cup
/ 4 weeks agoSon scores but Thailand hold South Korea in World Cup qualifier
Son Heung-min scored but South Korea were held 1-1 at home by Thailand in...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 1 month agoJapan-N. Korea World Cup game to stay in Pyongyang, JFA says
Japan’s World Cup qualifier against North Korea will be played in Pyongyang as planned...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoGerman ex-FA bosses on trial over World Cup tax evasion
Three German ex-top football officials went on trial on Monday in a 13.7-million-euro ($14.8...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoSaudi Arabia formally launches bid for 2034 World Cup
Saudi Arabia formally launched its bid to host the 2034 World Cup on Friday,...
By AFP