On the Virg of a return for big title run-in
Jurgen could have Van Dijk back for most exciting finale
Virgil Van Dijk is on track to make his Liverpool comeback during the title run-in.
The £ 75million defender is targeting an April return from the cruciate-ligament injury that was expected to finish him for the season after making huge strides in his recovery.
It’s great news for Jurgen Klopp and the medical staff at the Dutch Football Federation have assured Frank de Boer that his skipper will also be part of Holland’s bid for Euro 2020 glory.
Van Dijk has been working seven days a week as he steps up his recuperation under his own team of physiotherapy experts.
Most of his rehabilitation has taken place in Abu Dhabi but his fitness programme has been ratified by Liverpool’s medical staff.
Klopp’s side have been struggling at centreback since Van Dijk was injured by a tackle by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford in October.
Joe Gomez is unlikely to return until next season after suffering a serious knee injury while Joel Matip and Fabinho are also injured, leaving Klopp with a selection headache ahead of today’s trip to West Ham.
Fabinho is expected to be back for next Sunday’s clash with Manchester City at Anfield and Klopp will now strive to keep his team in touch at the top in the hope that Van Dijk will be back to bolster his bid for back-to-back titles in the final weeks of the season. The
Anf ield boss expects the title race to go the wire and believes it could the tightest run-in ever.
He said: “Man United once won it with 75 points so will this be the most exciting run-in with different teams? It could be.
“City could run away with it now because they are in a good position with a gameme in hand and are playing good football. Butut will it be the lowest points? I don’t know howwmanymany points are out there to get. We’ll see ass well.
“What we are seeing is that it is a difficult fficult season for all teams, maybe apart from West Ham while Leicester look pretty good as well.
“A lot of teams look good but we all have our ups and downs during the season.
“I can imagine it is really exciting, ng, especially for the neutral fan.”
While Klopp struggles for a centre-half, alf, West Ham’s Angelo Ogbonna has been en outstanding at the heart of David Moyes’ es’ defence this season.
The former Juventus man learned from m Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and d Giorgio Chiellini during his days in n Turin and he said: “I have a fantastic relationship with all of them. I really y grew up with them, they taught me a lot. Each of them taught me one part. Chiellini is a fantastic leader, maybe the best of the three.
“He is very aggressive, he reads the game very well, he’s composed not only when he is on the ball but just whenever he is on the pitch and that helped me to read the game, to read situations.
“Barzagli is the one who never talks but is always there for everyone.
“And it’s very important to have the personality of Bonucci. Even if he makes a mistake, he has the personality to come
back from it.”