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Footballers often struggle to adapt once their boots hang, a feeling the defender can sympathize with after almost two months of inactivity.
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk believes the Premier League’s ongoing suspension has forced him to face the realities of life after football, a prospect he is not looking forward to.
The first English flight was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Reds 25 light spots at the top of the table and apparently destined for their first title since 1990.
Closure measures across the UK followed, restricting players’ ability to train with their colleagues and forcing them to stay fit largely within the confines of their own homes.
Van Dijk believes that these past two months could be a foretaste of the feeling players are feeling after retiring, a milestone that he hopes he won’t face for some time yet.
“It is difficult not to be out there, to show our talents, to work hard, just the little things in the game,” Van Dijk told BT Sport.
“Also playing for so many fans, winning, all the game prep, training sessions, just watching the kids. We spent so much time together and suddenly now they are not together for almost two months, almost.
“It’s different, it’s crazy, and it’s something you haven’t really felt before, and it makes you appreciate things a little bit more.”
“It is going to be strange, and obviously I don’t want to think about retirement or anything like that, but it is going to be strange. It makes you think how difficult it will be for players to make the decision to retire, because what are you going to do afterwards?
“There will be a period of uncertainty where you have no idea what to do, and that feeling is what we sometimes have at the moment as well, because we have no idea what might happen.”
Although Germany, Spain and Italy have already resumed training sessions, although they follow strict social distancing protocols, no such return has yet been attempted in England.
However, Van Dijk is trying to keep his perspective, insisting that keeping infection numbers low should be the first priority.
“Obviously we try to keep in touch daily through our group chat,” he explained.
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“But obviously it is strange, it is a strange situation for all of us, for everyone in the world, in whatever profession everyone is doing. We have to adapt, we have to do things differently.
“But the most important thing is definitely everyone’s health. I can only speak for my own private circle, if that’s okay, obviously that’s the most important thing.
“In terms of fitness, I’m just trying to stay as fit as possible, do all the sessions we plan to do with the team. And make sure you’re ready for when the league restarts. Then we’ll see what can happen.”
