Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk has declared his ‘1000 percent commitment’ to the club amid reports that he could follow coach Jurgen Klopp in leaving the club at the end of the season.
In an interview with ESPN Sport, Van Dijk revealed that the imminent departure of Klopp has left him in the dark about his future at Merseyside.
Van Dijk, whose contract expires in the summer of 2025, has since clarified his comments in an exclusive interview with Sky Germany.
“To be 1 00 per cent clear, I am fully committed to the club. I love the club, I love the fans. It is fully taken out of context. It is not about me, it is not about l, it is about us, nothing has changed. Five days ago we weren’t even speaking about my contract, so it’s a bit silly. My full focus is on making sure this year is a very special year.
“It was obviously a big announcement the last couple of days, it’s been a big shock to each one of us connected to the club. l have been feeling exactly what the fans have been feeling in that exact moment. But, we mean business here. We want to crack on, we want to achieve the things that we dreamed of at the start of the season. We are in a good position, so let’s give it our all,” said Van Dijk.
Key players Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also out of contract in June 2025. Van Dijk, who joined the club in January 2018, said the idea of leaving Liverpool hasn’t crossed his mind.
“But, like I said already in the start, don’t get it twisted. I am fully committed to the club and I love it. I love each and every second. I am the captain and we are going to go for it all and let’s see how that goes. He is just a human being, he is a bit of a father for us as the squad, he has been that steady figure for so many years and it is going to be strange not having him next season. But I do not want to speak too much about it because we are still in the mix of it, still focused on things we want to achieve.”
Klopp had announced on Friday that he will leave the Reds at the end of the season. He cited ‘running out of energy’ as the reason for his departure.
Liverpool continue to compete on four competitions this season as they aim to close the Klopp chapter with silverware.
The club currently sits atop the Premier League table with two points difference and are still in the running for the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League. Liverpool are set to play Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February.
The @VirgilvDijk pass 🤤@conorbradley03‘s cross 👌
Szobo’s header 💥Our third goal in #LIVCHE! pic.twitter.com/hIpNXL8to5
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 1, 2024
