Danny Murphy has shared the concern he now has about Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool prepare for a massive summer at Anfield.
Virgil van Dijk has perhaps been playing as well as he ever has for the Reds this season. Of course, the Dutchman was given the captaincy ahead of the campaign following Jordan Henderson’s departure.
Van Dijk has been a game-changing signing for Liverpool. The Reds showed plenty of promise before his arrival. However, he – along with Alisson Becker – was undoubtedly the player they needed to take that final step.
The 32-year-old has been exceptional again this year, helping the Reds challenge for the Premier League title. And van Dijk’s performance in the Carabao Cup final will be remembered for years to come.
But of course, this season marks the end of an era at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp will leave as manager in the summer.
And he could be followed out of the door by some of their key men.
Danny Murphy admits concern over Virgil van Dijk
Danny Murphy was speaking on talkSPORT about the fact that van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are out of contract at the end of next season.
And while discussing Salah’s future, the former midfielder suggested that the skipper is a bigger priority.
“I think more importantly, Liverpool fans are sweating a little bit on Virgil’s situation. He’s so key, isn’t he now, because he’s got a year left,” he said.
“Replacing Virgil is a massive ask. He’s that important. I’m surprised they haven’t got him tied down already, which is a little bit concerning.”
Liverpool surely face a simple decision over whether to hand captain a new contract
Van Dijk has previously spoken about his future. And it does seem that he is waiting to see what happens with Klopp’s successor before making any decision on his own path.
But given how good he has been this season, you would have to say that holding onto him seems to be a no-brainer for Liverpool, even if that means handing him a lucrative new deal.
Van Dijk will turn 33 before the start of next season. However, he remains so influential. And with the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah still developing, he has a massive role to play, even if he is not playing week-in, week-out.
Perhaps Liverpool may be more inclined to let his deal run into its final year than they would be for Alexander-Arnold or Salah.
But given that they are already losing someone as important as Klopp this summer, surely it would be a really bad idea to also open the door for van Dijk to leave also.
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