Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE’LL MISSUS YOU MADLY
Klopp: We will wait for Virgil like a good wife does when her man is in jail
JURGEN KLOPP says Liverpool will wait for the injured Virgil van Dijk to return “like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail”.
Van Dijk, 29, is set for surgery after suffering ACL damage when he was hacked down by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
The Dutchman has not been ruled out for the season yet, but it will be a battle to return thi s t erm as h e prepares for an op.
The news is a huge blow to the club, and Anfield boss Klopp understands why his defender just wants to be left alone right now.
“It’s always the same, players love to be on their own to deal with it in the first moment. I am long enough in the business to know that.
“I was injured myself, I had exactly the same injury if I’m right, and it’s not then that you are pretty chatty. We are in contact, of course.
“We are there for him, he knows that and we will wait for him like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail. Meanwhile, we will do all that we can to make it as easy for him as possible.”
Liverpool will have to rely on Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in central defence, with Fabinho a possibility of further cover if he steps back from midfield.
Matip underwent a scan at the weekend on a leg muscle injury and no problems were detected , but Klopp still faces a selection headache for tomorrow’s Champions League opener away at Ajax.
The lengthy absence of Van Dijk is a huge blow for the Reds, who will not look to sign a free agent as further defensive cover owing to the lack of unattached talent. Klopp said: “I expected the seriousness of the injur y pretty much straight after the game, especially when I saw the challenge back.
“I saw it the first time from the bench, and when I saw it back I was pretty clear that he will be out for a long time.
“We feel for him because most of us were in a similar situation and we know that these situations are absolutely rubbish.
“You have to get over it and
Virgil will get over it – 100 per cent. And today is already the first day of the recovery.”