'Van Dijk's not there' Warnock fears Liverpool's title defence
Former Liverpool full-back has spoken about the impact of Van Dijk’s injury on the team’s journey to defend their Premier League title.
The news of
Virgil Van Dijk’s knee injury shocked
Liverpoolafter their Saturday derby against
Everton. It was due to a reckless challenge by Everton goalkeeper
Jordan Pickfordthat Van Dijk’s knee ligament got damaged and later confirmed to require surgery. Van Dijk will miss most of the 2020-21 season and Jurgen Klopp and his team has to deal with this fairly new situation as the Dutch defender has only missed one game since he joined the club in 2018. In a recent interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, former Reds fullback Stephen Warnock has spoken about Liverpool’s situation and Klopp’s plans to deal with Van Dijk’s absence.
“We won't know until the end of the season how much impact it will have on the Liverpool squad. There will be a sense of togetherness. It will definitely hinder their defence of the title.
“It's that old cliche: 'Let's win it for Virgil and make sure we have something to celebrate at the end of the season.'
“But when you are in the changing room, you look across and you haven't got Virgil van Dijk - this big colossus of a player. Defensively when things are going well and you turn back and see Van Dijk, it’s okay. Now you turn back and he's not there.
“It's not being disrespectful to the players that are in there but he is their number one centre-back - someone who has performed to such a high level since he has come into the football club.”
Klopp’s team is preparing for their Wednesday clash against Ajax in the first round of the Champions league.
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