Van Dijk vows to raise his game

FORMER Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk insists he still has improvements to make despite making an immediate impact at Liverpool since becoming their record signing.

Since his arrival from Southampton for £75million, the Holland internationalist has kept four clean sheets in his 10 appearances to date but his overall influence on the team has been greater.

Asked whether the settling-in period had been easier than anticipated, he said: “I don’t know. Obviously you come here with manager Brendan Rodgers.

“He probably fits the bill for Celtic in that he’s very good on the ball,” he said. “He will go and take the ball off the keeper, he’s confident, and he has that little burst of pace that can take him into the middle of the park.

“He has good close control, and he’s a typical Celtic type of defender, and he’s still young enough that he could develop even further.

“I’m sure the coaches at Celtic will be working hard with him, and he is a good learner. He’s a good lad, taking on information and processing it well.” expectations and you want to play as soon as possible.

“Now I’m getting better and better and the understanding with all of the players is getting much better. I’m just playing my game and trying to help my team.

“I’m completely over the ankle problems [which kept him out for long periods in the last year], definitely.

“It’s more than that, it’s also just condition-wise and the way Liverpool play you need to be spot on. That’s pretty clear right now.”