OPINION
The signing of Virgil Van Dijk has transformed Liverpool from European contenders into silverware winners in the space of less than two years. The Dutch colossus has become a leading figure at Anfield and was one of the major reasons the Reds went on to win their sixth Champions League trophy in June. The 28-year-old was the mastermind of Liverpool’s defence last season, and often put himself into positions where he didn’t need to make a tackle with his ability to read the game so well. Van Dijk averaged over one interception per 90 minutes in the Premier League and started many of Jurgen Klopp’s side’s attacks throughout the season. The Dutchman quickly became one of the best ball-playing defenders in the league, averaging 79.9 passes a game at a success rate of 89.7%. [WhoScored] Van Dijk recently returned to Melwood for pre-season training, and posted a three-word on his personal Twitter account, simply saying, “Back to work!” This simple tweet saw some Liverpool fans take to Twitter to respond to their defensive enforcer, with one fan saying, “Ballon d’Or incoming.”
Live4Liverpool picked out some of the best responses below:
