Press conference'It tells you a lot about him' - Arne Slot praises Virgil van Dijk's off-field work
Arne Slot praised the work and dedication Virgil van Dijk puts in away from the pitch to ensure he’s ready to lead Liverpool each matchday.
The captain has played more minutes than any other player for the Reds so far this season, appearing in 36 out of a possible 38 games.
“Vital, of course,” said Slot, when asked about Van Dijk’s importance to his team during his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
“Not even looking at the amount of options we have at centre-back because if he’s not playing, there are no options left. The same for Ibou [Konate], by the way, although Joe [Gomez] is coming back now.
“[Virgil] has been fit every single time - and I’ve said this before, how big of an accomplishment that is for a player of his ‘age’ because he’s not the youngest anymore, [but he] plays every three days.
“That’s not a coincidence because if I look at how much work he puts in on a daily basis to recover, to be ready for the next [game] immediately when the game finishes until the moment the next game starts.
“I’ve said before it’s always harder to stay fit in this season where you [as a] team and he as well have had so many setbacks.
“It tells you a lot about what he does off the pitch in recovery, but definitely also about his mental strength that he’s able to stay with the team - and not only stay with the team, but also bring in bringing in very good performances and leading the team, as he always does on and off the pitch, by example. That is what he did on Wednesday night in Sunderland.”
Van Dijk marked another commanding display at Sunderland in midweek by claiming the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light.
The No.4 converted with his head from Mohamed Salah’s corner, taking his tally for the season so far to four.
On the importance of Van Dijk’s offensive threat, Slot added: “It’s vital. He scored one against Bournemouth, scored one now and has already scored a few important goals for us this season and definitely last season as well.
“He’s a big threat in the air offensively, and defensively he is really important for us not to concede. So, vital and I hope he will score many more for us at set-pieces this season.”