Virgil van Dijk has paid tribute to Jürgen Klopp and said he wants to be part of the “big transition” that will take place at Liverpool following the German’s departure.
Klopp has two games remaining as Liverpool manager – at Aston Villa next Monday and what is sure to be an emotional occasion at Anfield for the visit of Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season. No doubt there will be tears in the stands as Klopp says goodbye after nine and a half hugely successful, and transformative, years on Merseyside, with his exit inevitably leading to speculation about the future of his players.
Come the end of next month, Van Dijk will have 12 months remaining on his current deal and, having been at Liverpool since January 2018, he could be forgiven for feeling the time would be right for him to also depart. The club captain suggested as much shortly after Klopp announced in January that he was leaving at the end of the season, saying the decision had raised a “big question” over his own time at Anfield. The 32-year-old soon made it clear that he was happy to remain in situ and reiterated that stance following Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.
“The focus is now on the last two games and then the club will focus on who the new manager is and there will be a big transition and I am part of that,” said Van Dijk. “There is nothing for me to discuss [regarding my future] because there is no news. Like I said, I am very happy here, I love the club and you can see that as well. It’s a big part of my life already.
“There will be a lot of changes happening and I wouldn’t say scary is the right word, but it is quite interesting and exciting what will happen now. So let’s see.”
Van Dijk became the world’s most expensive defender when Liverpool bought him from Southampton for £75m a little more than six years ago and has gone on to become a Premier League, European and world champion at the club. Little wonder the Netherlands international is full of praise for the man who put his trust in him and oversaw that glory.
“He is a fantastic manager, a great human being and we have a great relationship,” said Van Dijk of Klopp. “I am really proud I played for him, fought for the badge and him, and count the success we had over the years as well.
“It will be emotional on the last day but it is a part of life sometimes. Many things are happening behind the scenes but we focus on match days and that is our duty, our job, and we want to perform for the last six points.”
Feyenoord’s head coach, Arne Slot, is widely expected to take over from Klopp, but one high-profile player from the current squad he may not end up working with is Darwin Núñez. The Uruguay forward has had a successful season, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists in 52 appearances, but has come under criticism following a string of poor performances in recent weeks and on Monday appeared to have deleted the vast majority of Liverpool-related content from his Instagram account, leading to speculation that he is no longer happy at the club he joined for £85m from Benfica in June 2022.