Virgil van Dijk Addresses Concerns About His Future with Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk has moved to ease those concerned about his short-term future. One fact should dispel the worries.
Concerns regarding Virgil van Dijk’s performance this season are valid; the Liverpool captain, who turned 35 this summer, aims to maintain his reputation as one of the world’s premier centre-backs.
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He is set to lead a Liverpool defense that has already seen changes. Last season, he was a constant presence, but now the team’s backline has weakened with the departures of Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson.
New additions Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo bring fresh talents, while Kostas Tsimikas steps in for support on the left. However, Van Dijk remains the only consistently reliable centre-back among the team’s five options.
Joe Gomez faces ongoing fitness issues and is currently sidelined. Giovanni Leoni has not played for nearly a year due to a knee injury and is still only 19. Jacquet has struggled with injuries throughout the year and has not featured since January, and at 21, remains largely untested in the Premier League.
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Additionally, new signing Ronald Araujo’s league minutes over the past two seasons are approximately half of what Van Dijk logged in the last season alone, underscoring the reliance on the Dutch defender this year.
This presents a significant challenge for a 35-year-old, especially considering Van Dijk played every minute of the previous season and participated in the World Cup, leaving him with limited time for pre-season recovery.
Despite this demanding schedule, Van Dijk appears undaunted. When asked by Hayters TV about his readiness for regular play, he responded with a confident “Yes.”
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He later elaborated that he is a “late bloomer,” suggesting that this might benefit him as he ages. Van Dijk began playing regular league football around age 22, much later than many elite players, which might mean that at 35, he can still perform at a high level for longer than his peers.
For context, Jacquet, who is 21, has already accumulated three seasons of senior football, highlighting the longevity factors that could play to Van Dijk’s advantage.
While concerns about his performance are understandable, Van Dijk’s unique career trajectory and skills set him apart as he confronts this challenge.
Virgil van Dijk has moved to ease those concerned about his short-term future. One fact should dispel the worries.
Everyone is right to be concerned about Virgil van Dijk this season – what he’s going to try and do is virtually unheard of. The Liverpool captain turned 35 this summer but will attempt to hold onto his status as arguably the world’s best centre-back.
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Moreover, he’s going to lead this Liverpool defence as the ever-present figure. That’s what he was last season and the Reds’ backline has actually become weaker with Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson departing the club.
Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo will add something new, while Kostas Tsimikas returns as cover on the left. But Van Dijk is actually the only reliable centre-back option out of five.
Joe Gomez always has fit fitness concerns and is again out. Giovanni Leoni has been out for nearly a year with a knee injury and is still only 19. Jacquet has battled injury problems all year and hasn’t played since January – he’s also, at 21, a completely unknown quantity in the Premier League.
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Then there’s new-signing Ronald Araujo. If you tally Araujo’s minutes across the last two league seasons, you get roughly half of what Van Dijk played just last season. Take a second to wrap your head around that one.
In other words, Liverpool are dependent on the Dutchman once again and arguably more than ever. It’s a lot to ask of a 35-year-old who played every minute last season.
But it’s actually more than that. Van Dijk didn’t just feature for every Premier League minute but he then went off the World Cup. He had an exhausting campaign that’s naturally followed by a shortened pre-season.
And yet, he’s not worried. When asked by Hayters TV if he was ready to play every week for Liverpool, he answered “Yes” – and emphatically so.
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But it was a line he says a little bit later than should ease fears. Van Dijk points out that he’s a “late bloomer” and that may help him as he gets older – and he’s completely correct.
The Dutchman didn’t start playing regular league football until he was around 22. That’s much, much later than his elite contemporaries and it means that ’35’ probably isn’t the same for Van Dijk as it is most other 35-year-olds at the top of the game.
Jacquet, for one, is 21 and already has three seasons of senior football under his belt. That makes a big difference when it comes to longevity and Van Dijk rightly believes that could help him maintain his level for longer.
So yes, there will naturally be concerns purely because what Van Dijk is trying to do is so rare. But he’s also a different kind of player than we’re used to – in so many ways.
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