A look at their world class centre half…
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00:00So, Will, looking at Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk now,
00:05obviously just generically in terms of Liverpool's contract situation,
00:08we've mentioned the big three throughout the season.
00:11Obviously, it's looking likely that Trent is going to be linked
00:14and possibly going to Real Madrid, as we mentioned.
00:17Obviously, not fully on the dotted line yet,
00:19but that's the sort of heavy speculation surrounding Trent.
00:23That leaves Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk now,
00:26starting with van Dijk.
00:28We've mentioned Salah a fair few times due to his incredible individual season.
00:33Van Dijk, obviously an ageing player in the side,
00:35but so much experience, so much quality at the highest level.
00:40How much of an importance is he to Liverpool's title charge this year
00:43and their future plans as well?
00:45Where does he sort of sit in terms of their priorities
00:48with keeping him in the side, keeping him around this group
00:51and being available for Arne Schlott to take him into the second season?
00:58Under his management.
01:00He's been the bedrock, to be honest with you, as this title charge.
01:03He's been as good as I've ever seen him, to be quite frank.
01:07He's been absolutely immense.
01:11Some of the performances he's delivered have been right up there.
01:14You know, you'd think he was still very much in his prime,
01:18and I guess he still is in his prime.
01:19And I suppose that's why contract talks have probably been protracted,
01:25because, as you said, he is ageing.
01:28I think he termed his 34 in July.
01:31Liverpool don't often, in the past, they haven't given contracts out,
01:34long-term contracts out of players.
01:36The last one was maybe Jordan Henderson,
01:39and that ended up coming to a head, an early conclusion.
01:42And James Milner was one who stays on,
01:44but that was a year long for the last few years.
01:49And I think Liverpool have been looking at it and thinking,
01:53probably they've been trying to get it on their best terms, of course.
01:57They have, and fans like he has wanted the best terms for him.
02:00Maybe it's been about the length of contract.
02:03Maybe they've been reluctant to give him what he wants, et cetera.
02:06But, as you say, he says after the Fulham game
02:08that there has been progress.
02:10A lot of people have expected Virgil Van Dijk to stay.
02:12He's the captain.
02:14Where else does he go?
02:16Would he want to move his family?
02:17You know, he's been here for a while.
02:19Probably could go and play for any team in Europe,
02:21but would he want to at this stage of his career?
02:25Is there any guarantee he would be out-and-out first choice?
02:28Just because, look, he's a fantastic player,
02:31but all those other clubs that he could join
02:32have got fantastic centre-backs as well.
02:34And I think it's a conclusion a lot of people have expected.
02:39I think that he will have signed the Dodgers line.
02:42I mean, Slot has praised him many a times this season
02:45about his impact.
02:46He knows it immediately on the training grounds.
02:51And he's come out and said,
02:52I want Virgil to stay already.
02:54So that's telling.
02:56So I think, in the end,
02:59there will be a positive conclusion,
03:02whether that's two years plus an option,
03:04three years plus an option, I don't know.
03:06But I think it's good news
03:09because Ibrahim O'Connor is a really good defender,
03:13but is he a natural leader?
03:16I'm not quite sure about that.
03:18Joe Gomez has had his fitness issues again,
03:22and Gelo Kwanzaa is still only 22
03:24and very much learning his craft.
03:26So Liverpool, I think what this will maybe teach them
03:30is they do need to find a successor.
03:33They do need someone to come in,
03:35whether that is a Kwanzaa
03:36or whether they look for a left footer
03:38who can play on that left side,
03:40who can be developed slowly,
03:43can be nurtured into it,
03:44because Liverpool have got to start planning
03:46for life about Veja Van Dijk
03:47in a couple of years' time for years to stay.
03:51Yeah, and obviously you mentioned
03:52his sort of massive impact.
03:54He's approaching, you know,
03:56his ninth season would be next season with the club.
03:59I mean, that's quite an incredible stay.
04:02You know, he's clearly spent his prime years here.
04:04He's clearly helped Liverpool go from,
04:06you know, where they were,
04:09the Jurgen Klopp era,
04:10and then took them to the very, very top
04:12and certainly helped that.
04:13Do you feel he ranks among
04:15one of the best Liverpool players of all time?
04:18Or how do you sort of summarise that
04:19in terms of players
04:21that have really got a connection with the fans
04:23and helped improve the side tenfold
04:25like Van Dijk has?
04:27Yeah, well, he took Liverpool to the next level.
04:31When he arrived in that January,
04:34Liverpool were flying on the front end of the pitch.
04:37They had Salah, Mane, Firmino and Coutinho.
04:40They saw Coutinho in that window.
04:43But there were always question marks
04:44over the defence.
04:45There wasn't a real leader.
04:46You're looking at the likes of
04:48Dejan Lovren, Joe Mata for your pair.
04:51But you needed someone else in there to come in.
04:55And Van Dijk, as soon as he came in,
04:57he did that, you know,
04:58to not too many players,
05:00certainly under Jurgen Klopp,
05:01who instantly handled the debut.
05:03But that's what happened.
05:04And of course, he scores in the Merseyside derby.
05:07He took Liverpool to another level.
05:08He got to the Champions League final that year.
05:11Of course, then the arrival of Alisson took them
05:13to sort of the final piece along with Fabinho.
05:17But I think in terms of his influence on the team,
05:21he'll be right up there in Liverpool history.
05:24Salah, of course, is there.
05:25You know, in terms of signings,
05:26like Gerrard will, you know,
05:28obviously come through the academy.
05:29But Kenny Zaglis made a massive impact
05:32after replacing Kevin Keegan and, you know,
05:36Ian Rush for Sam Chester and made a massive impact as well.
05:39But in the modern times,
05:44he's been a player that has really,
05:46really been a leader.
05:49And he could probably play in any Liverpool team,
05:53any Premier League team in history.
05:55He's been that good for the most part.
05:58He obviously had that season where he was coming back from injury.
06:02Maybe he was questioned a little bit,
06:04but he proved all of his doubts was wrong.
06:06He's been that good for the most part.