Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has said that his ribs are OK after suffering two knocks on the same area against Paris Saint-Germain and Southampton.
The 6ft 3in [Source: Transfermarkt] Reds defender has been visibly struggling recently but remained in the starting line up for the 1-1 draw with Premier League rivals Chelsea on Saturday.
And the Dutchman has provided an update: “My ribs are okay,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “I took some painkillers, but not much, it was more about being strong and being a warrior. You never really play completely pain free.
“In my position you need to jump a lot and be able to compete physically so you use your ribs quite a bit. During the PSG game I got a knock in the ribs and was struggling a bit. Then I got another knock in the same area against Southampton. I was like: ‘Come on, I never get any knocks there and then I get two in four days!’ Now it’s all good,” he finished.
OPINION
Liverpool fans will be delighted to hear that Van Dijk’s injury troubles aren’t anything serious. The Dutchman did look like he was struggling against PSG in the Champions League last month but he has continued to play a big part for the Reds in recent weeks, so the injury clearly wasn’t too bad. The ribs can be a painful area but it sounds as if the worst is over for Van Dijk. The 27-year-old is arguably the Reds most important player so to lose him for any significant length of time would have been devastating for Jurgen Klopp. The German can rest easy now, however, as the Holland star is clearly on his way back to full fitness. He produced another fine performance against Chelsea on Saturday and has formed a tremendous partnership with Joe Gomez at the heart of the Liverpool defence. No one wants to see that duo split up, so this is good news.
