As manager Jurgen Klopp prepares to leave, Virgil van Dijk admits that he is not sure if he will be a part of Liverpool’s “new era”.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Anfield has been rocked by the news that Klopp, who has led the club to Premier League and Champions League titles, will be walking away at the end of the current campaign. Questions are now being asked of various other prominent figures on Merseyside, with Van Dijk having only 18 months left to run on his contract.
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WHAT VAN DIJK SAID
The Dutch defender has said when asked what his future holds: “Will I be part of the new era? That’s a big question. I don’t know. Eighteen months left? That’s correct. Good maths. I don’t know. The club will have a big job on their hands, that is well known. To replace not only the manager but the whole staff and there are so many things that will change. I’m very curious which direction that will go in but when that will be announced we will see our situation. I can’t say much about it. It will be the end of Jurgen Klopp’s era and I am still part of it – that’s why I don’t like to talk about it. That is my main focus. We will see at the end of the season, hopefully we will have the success we all dream of and by then probably there will be more clarification about what the club wants for the future and then we will see.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Given that he has a contract that runs until 2026, Klopp’s declaration was unexpected, and Van Dijk acknowledges that he is now feeling more of a captain for the team. “Obviously, I felt like that because there are a lot of questions that everyone wants to ask each and every one of us,” he continued. In his press conference, the manager stated, “Ask everything there, and then we go back to focusing on what we want to achieve.” That’s also how I view it. We may talk about the situation and what will happen next year every week, but nothing changes. It’s all noise, so we concentrate on finishing the task at hand, and that’s why I don’t think anything has changed.
“Everything remains the same, but naturally, at the end of the season, various things will happen; the club will need to handle it. Really, not much has changed. Naturally, things will change at the end of the current season and in the next one, but for now, nothing has changed, so we must continue with our current course of action. While it may be easier said than done, I have a feeling that the other boys share my perspective, and it is my responsibility to make sure that we don’t stray from it. Since we are all human and have emotions, I don’t think it could be considered an insult to your professionalism that you let Klopp’s news affect you. Some players may have felt differently about the manager’s announcement than others, which is completely normal given that everyone thinks differently, but I didn’t see any lack of professionalism or standard being met. The training courses I’ve attended over the past few days haven’t changed.”
WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?
Liverpool easily defeated Norwich in the FA Cup fourth round in their first match following Klopp’s s/h/o/c/k/i/ng announcement of his leaving. The Reds will next play in the Premier League on Wednesday when they host Chelsea.
