News'Virgil has grown a lot as a player and as a captain'
Pepijn Lijnders has hailed the ‘growth’ of Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool’s captain, backing the Dutchman to continue performing at the top level for years to come.
Van Dijk has been in impressive and commanding form this season, the 32-year-old flourishing after taking over the armband for the Reds in the summer.
Most recently, the No.4 and fellow centre-back Ibrahima Konate helped to shut out AFC Bournemouth on Sunday as Jürgen Klopp’s men won 4-0 at Vitality Stadium to move five points clear atop the Premier League.
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Watch on YouTubeSpeaking ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final, second-leg clash with Fulham tonight, assistant manager Lijnders was fulsome in his praise for the defender.
Asked whether he could see Van Dijk playing into his late 30s, Lijnders said: “I think so, yes. Him and Ibou are really important for us.
“If you see how [Justin] Kluivert, [Luis] Sinisterra and Dom [Solanke] positioned themselves [for Bournemouth], they made many runs in the back, and how they [Van Dijk and Konate] protected each other – they cleared five or six situations, I think, before it became dangerous.
“I think Virgil can easily do that. If he’s in a team that plays offensively, [like] how we play, with this kind of style, then yes. It is suited for him. It would be different in a different style.
“He grew a lot this year as a player but also as a captain, I think that goes hand in hand. I don’t know what is next for him to give.”
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