Saturday, he expressed optimism that Liverpool’s players would rise to the occasion to fill the vacuum left by Jordan Henderson and added that it would be “an honor” to replace him as captain of the team.
This week, England midfielder Jordan Henderson made the transfer to the Saudi Pro League, and it is generally expected that Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, who has previously worn the arm band, would take over as the team’s leader.
Van Dijk made these comments in Singapore, where Liverpool will play Leicester City on Sunday. “Obviously he’s going to be a big miss for us as a player and definitely as a leader and a captain, someone who’s so important for us and successful at the club over the last years,” Van Dijk said. “He’s someone who’s been so successful at the club over the last years.”
Henderson, James Milner, and Roberto Firmino have all left the club over the summer, but Van Dijk believes that the remaining players will be able to fill the leadership void left by their departures.
“Definitely, we have a lot of players who can take that responsibility and have to take that responsibility, so I am confident that will happen,” Van Dijk, who is 32 years old, continued.
Van Dijk was clear about what it would mean to him if he was asked to take the arm band permanently, even if he didn’t want to say too much about the replacement of Henderson as captain. However, he didn’t want to say too little either.
It is no secret that I have served as captain of the team on several occasions over the course of the last few years, and each time I do so, I am filled with a sense of accomplishment. We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds, but it would be a tremendous honor to lead the team.”
Van Dijk is the favorite to captain Jurgen Klopp’s squad against Leicester, but Klopp didn’t reveal much beyond the fact that Van Dijk will be in charge.
“I know my decision already but I have to tell it first to the players… before I speak in public about it,” the German stated. “It’s important to me that they hear it from me.”
“It’s a significant choice, but what’s even more significant is the overall leadership group that we build. It will be a significant shift for us.”
Klopp maintained his sense of optimism in spite of the changes.
According to him, “things have to change at some point, that’s clear as you can’t expect things to go on without any changes or developments,” and “that’s clear as you can’t expect things to go on without any changes or developments.”
“Both in practice and in the games, I’ve seen a lot of encouraging signs,” the player said. The lads have shown that they comprehend the predicament, which makes me very delighted.