Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has admitted he had to “get to know” his knee again after his devastating ACL injury in October 2020.
A collision with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saw Van Dijk miss nine months of his career, but even after he returned, the Dutch defender faced plenty of questions about his ability which extended into Liverpool’s chaotic 2022/23 season.
However, those doubts have dissipated this year as Van Dijk has excelled at the back for a resurgent Liverpool outfit who entered the November international break second in the Premier League with the division’s best defensive record.
“My injury was very serious, it is not surprising that you have to get to know your knee again, so to speak,” Van Dijk confessed to Algemeen Dagblad.
“But now I don’t notice it anymore. I haven’t had to change much in my way of playing, I have the feeling that I can do everything again.”
Van Dijk went on to say that he was well below his best last season for both club and country, forcing him to explore ways to address his form.
“I take some criticism seriously, but not all,” he continued. “I know very well when I play well and when I don’t.
“Last season was just mediocre, sometimes even bad. As a team we also struggled to find a good rhythm at Liverpool. The Nations League with the Dutch team was also not good. I have thought and talked about it a lot to be able to turn that around. That worked, I think. Things have been going very well again since the summer.”
Van Dijk’s return to form has also coincided with Jurgen Klopp’s decision to hand him the captain’s armband following Jordan Henderson’s departure this summer – a move which the defender admits has helped spur him on further.
“I naturally find it very beautiful and honourable,” he said. “There’s a lot involved, perhaps even more at the club than at the national team.
“You have a lot of responsibility towards the entire team, especially the younger boys, and also towards the club as a whole. It certainly doesn’t have a negative impact on my game. Not exactly: it is more of an incentive.”
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