Virgil van Dijk eases concerns about his future with straight fact

Virgil van Dijk eases concerns about his future with straight fact Virgil van Dijk has moved to ease those concerned about his short-term future. One fact should dispel the worries. Everyone is right to be concerned about Virgil van Dijk this season - what he’s going to try and do is virtually unheard of. The Liverpool captain turned 35 this summer but will attempt to hold onto his status as arguably the world’s best centre-back. Moreover, he’s going to lead this Liverpool defence as the ever-present figure. That’s what he was last season and the Reds’ backline has actually become weaker with Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson departing the club. Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo will add something new, while Kostas Tsimikas returns as cover on the left. But Van Dijk is actually the only reliable centre-back option out of five. Joe Gomez always has fit fitness concerns and is again out. Giovanni Leoni has been out for nearly a year with a knee injury and is still only 19. Jacquet has battled injury problems all year and hasn’t played since January - he’s also, at 21, a completely unknown quantity in the Premier League. Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets Open an account and place a qualifying bet of £10 at min odds of 1/5 (1.2) or greater. 18+New UK/ROI customers. Min £5 deposit. Bet Credits available on settlement of qualifying bets, capped at £10 stake. Min odds 1/5 (1.20). Bet Credits expire in 7 days. Excl. Cashed Out/Free Bets/Boosted odds. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org £30 FREE CLAIM NOW 18+Gambling can be addictive — please only bet what you can afford to lose. For free support visit BeGambleAware.org or call 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7). Self-exclude at GAMSTOP.co.uk . AnfieldWatch is not a licensed betting operator. Offers subject to change. Then there’s new-signing Ronald Araujo. If you tally Araujo’s minutes across the last two league seasons, you get roughly half of what Van Dijk played just last season. Take a second to wrap your head around that one. In other words, Liverpool are dependent on the Dutchman once again and arguably more than ever. It’s a lot to ask of a 35-year-old who played every minute last season. But it’s actually more than that. Van Dijk didn’t just feature for every Premier League minute but he then went off the World Cup. He had an exhausting campaign that’s naturally followed by a shortened pre-season. And yet, he’s not worried. When asked by Hayters TV if he was ready to play every week for Liverpool, he answered “Yes” - and emphatically so. But it was a line he says a little bit later than should ease fears. Van Dijk points out that he’s a “late bloomer” and that may help him as he gets older - and he’s completely correct. The Dutchman didn’t start playing regular league football until he was around 22. That’s much, much later than his elite contemporaries and it means that ’35’ probably isn’t the same for Van Dijk as it is most other 35-year-olds at the top of the game. Jacquet, for one, is 21 and already has three seasons of senior football under his belt. That makes a big difference when it comes to longevity and Van Dijk rightly believes that could help him maintain his level for longer. So yes, there will naturally be concerns purely because what Van Dijk is trying to do is so rare. But he’s also a different kind of player than we’re used to - in so many ways.