Virgil van Dijk has emerged from a difficult season to win the captain’s armband at Liverpool, with the Dutchman “proud” to lead his club forward.
By his own admission, Van Dijk was far from his best last season, attracting harsh criticism especially from the Netherlands.
But at the end of the campaign and the new season, the centre-back looks to have regained his form, and he is now sitting in the captaincy.
After a summer in which Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson and his vice-captain James Milner, along with Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, this season represents a changing of the guard.
“We are in a kind of transfer phase at Liverpool,” Van Dijk said Give it a try in his homeland.
“So of course it’s nice to feel that the manager still considers me part of the new team, of Liverpool 2.0, so to speak.
“We talked a lot in the first weeks of preparation. That shows confidence. Yes, sure thanks to the captain. “
During his interview, Van Dijk spoke of his pride in taking on the “huge responsibility” of leading Liverpool into a new era.
There are other candidates for the role, with Trent Alexander-Arnold among the vice-captain picks, but Van Dijk is the favourite.
However, there are question marks over his future as a starter due to the struggles he endured last time out, with the 32-year-old aware of his need to improve.
“I’ve been talking a lot with people from my area in recent months,” he admitted.
“My wife is very important in this, but I also have people around the club who I always talk to.
“It starts with being critical of yourself as a footballer, that you always think about how things could be better.
“At the end of last season I already noticed that I was improving, except for the Nations League matches with the Dutch team.”
Van Dijk rightly recognized his improvement of late, adding that, apart from his “atypical” red card, “he started the season well.”
“I think it was very good against Chelsea and Bournemouth,” he said.
“Despite the red card, it’s a good start. I can’t wait [to go on].â€