Van Dijk desperate for trophies

London – Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is confident the team can step up another level in the upcoming campaign as the Premier League club look to end their trophy drought.

The Merseysiders’ most recent success was a League Cup win in 2012 and despite showing improvement under Juergen Klopp, the German manager has seen them lose three finals since he joined the club in 2015.

“We’re going to work our socks off and do everything possible to make it happen this season. We were very close to silverware but obviously not close enough,” Netherlands international Van Dijk told Liverpool’s website.

“I can improve in any aspect of the game. At the moment, it’s getting back to full fitness, making sure I’m getting better and stronger than I was before. I will work every day and do everything possible and no doubt it will happen.”

The 27-year-old made 22 appearances for Liverpool after he joined them in January, helping the club finish fourth in the league and reach the Champions League final, which they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in May.

Van Dijk missed Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly on Saturday, when Klopp’s men recorded a crushing 7-0 win over nonleague Chester, but is expected to take part in several fixtures leading up to next month’s Premier League kick-off. – Reuters