Van Dijk is getting what he wanted at Reds

Virgil van Dijk laughs off the idea that he looks like he’s been at Liverpool for years.

But there is no doubting the difference the Dutchman has made in his three months on Merseyside.

Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid Southampton £75m in January to make him the most-expensive defender in world football.

But van Dijk settled in straight away and his presence at the heart of the defence has had a big impact.

Liverpool have given away far fewer calamitous goals and it’s only one conceded in the three Champions League games in which Van Dijk has played.

Now the Reds are gearing up for a semi-final against Roma, having seen off Manchester City in both legs of their quarter-final.

And van Dijk can prepare for two more special Liverpool nights.

“All my team-mates around me, and the staff and everyone who works at Liverpool, have been fantastic with me,” says the former Celtic man.

“Also the fans welcomed me very nicely. But all those aspects have helped me to settle in.

“These Champions League games are what I really wanted when I joined. As a player, you want to play at the highest level and reach your maximum potential.

“At the end of your career, you don’t want to have the feeling that you regret something. I definitely came here to enjoy these nights and hopefully to win trophies.

“Everyone wants to be in these big games. You want to feel that pressure and be challenged.

“But we’re all working hard and showing a mature attitude. Even if that means telling someone to step up in a hard way, everyone is taking it well.”

Despite the improvements in defence, van Dijk is eager to praise Liverpool’s front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

With 79 goals between the trio, they pose a threat to any opposition. Van Dijk is happy he’s playing with them and not against them.

“It’s obviously a good feeling to know if we do our job, they can score goals,” he continues.

“Scoring is the main thing for them but they put so much work in defensively.

“The guys up front start our defensive line-up, as they make sure they press up front, making it difficult for attackers to get the ball.

“We train against the best three forwards in Europe at the moment, together with a couple of other guys in Spain.

“They just make you better and you learn a lot.”