KOP TEARS & CHEERS!
VIRGIL VAN DIJK is already bracing himself for Jurgen Klopp’s emotional departure from Liverpool.
The Dutch defender knows there will be tears when the Kop boss brings the curtain down on his eight-year Anfield reign – but he’s also set his sights on a few more cheers.
Van Dijk still has some unfinished business. The Reds are a close second to Arsenal in the Premier League and are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
And after asking Klopp to join him inwembley’s Royal Box to lift the Carabao Cup last month, the Liverpool skipper hopes there will be more glory days to come.
Van Dijk said: “I am quite an emotional person and always find it very difficult to say goodbye to someone anyway – and it will be even more so now.
“Saying goodbye is not something I look forward to but we can make it very nice by winning prizes together.
“That’s the way life is. You see each other at the club almost daily and even more often than your own wife and children.
“You experience highlights together
– but also difficult moments.
“That creates a bond that is very close, especially at a club like Liverpool, one big family.
“And then after a few years it’s suddenly over.”
Liverpool’s dreams of a quadruple were smashed by last weekend’s FA Cup shock 4-3 defeat at Manchester United.
Butvan Dijk made sure that Klopp’s final Wembley act was to lift a trophy after he scored an extra-time header to snatch the Carabao Cup away from Chelsea.
He added: “I had thought of this beforehand because it ended a perfect day.
“My family was in the stands, it was an exciting game and I scored the winning goal. All in all, that made me so proud as captain.
“For me, there was nothing better than receiving a trophy, my first as captain, with the manager who has been and still is so incredibly important for the club and also for me personally.”
Van Dijk, who turns 33 during the Euros in Germany this summer, has been back to peak form this season after admitting he was well below his best when Liverpool finished fifth last year.
Now he has stated his intention to win more trophies for both club and country in the coming months.
In an interview with Voetbal International,
Van Dijk said: “I just want to win everything. We’re looking good with Liverpool at the moment.
“And if everything goes along and falls right, I may also hold up a trophy once as captain of the Dutch national team.
“Last year didn’t go well and I’m one of the contributing players at Liverpool and Oranje (Netherlands). I played very good games last year but also duels in which I was much less, which were not up to the standard I set
myself.”