Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has given an update on his injury problems, claiming he will not ‘take anything for granted’ when he does return to action.
Van Dijk suffered his injury during the Goodison Merseyside derby back last October, following a late challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
That injury ruled him out of action for the rest of the season, with Liverpool struggling on multiple occasions in his absence.
Speaking about his injury this week, Van Dijk has revealed he will not take anything for granted when he returns to action.
“In this period of being injured, it makes you think about loads of stuff and appreciate even more what you’ve got,” Van Dijk explained in an interview with JBL.
“Obviously, it’s not easy, but the most important thing for me is to stay true to myself and work as hard as I can.
“So, if the time comes back and I’ll be back playing again, then I just have to enjoy every bit of it and try to be the best player I can be.
“I won’t take anything for granted. I just work, enjoy, have a smile on my face, and try to stay fit.”
SL View – Is Van Dijk’s injury the reason for Liverpool’s poor league campaign?
It certainly is no coincidence that Van Dijk’s injury coincided with a poor run of form from Liverpool.
While the Reds seemed to cope fairly well until the end of 2020, Liverpool have lost nine games in the Premier League since the start of this year.
Seven of those games have also come at Anfield, where Liverpool had previously gone 68 games unbeaten.
The game against Real Madrid on Tuesday was another example of how much Liverpool are missing Van Dijk.
If the Dutch defender was marking Vinicius Jr for Real Madrid’s first goal instead of Nat Phillips, there is a high chance that Liverpool would not have conceded.
Phillips and Ozan Kabak have looked somewhat uncomfortable in place of Van Dijk and would benefit from the leadership the Dutchman provides to his teammates.
Read More: Predicted Liverpool starting line-up vs Aston Villa.
