Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to Virgil van Dijk “special” when the Liverpool defender completed a full season in Newcastle on Sunday.
Van Dijk played the entire game at St James’ Park for his 38th Premier League appearance of the season when the Reds beat their hosts 3-1 to end the season with 99 points.
For the second season in a row, Van Dijk helped Liverpool record the best defensive record in the top flight with just 33 goals in the entire year of Premier League action.
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Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez have played, at various points during this period, as first-choice half-center, but Van Dijk has played a role in every match as Liverpool ended a 30-year wait for the title of the league.
When asked about Liverpool’s £ 75m man, Klopp laughed, “I’m not sure if he needs another hour of praise, but he’s pretty good! He’s a good midfield.”
“Yes, he is special, his combination of skills is absolutely special. His mentality is also quite special, so this mix makes him a good midfielder and a good guy too, which I really like.”
“Because we work together and it might be a little bit harder to deal with, but in that case it’s really low maintenance.”
“It’s nice to have it. We knew when we signed it we were getting a really good player, but the package is very special. That makes it really exciting.”
“He takes his breaks from games once in a while, which drives me crazy, obviously. I get it, he’s pretty special and that was his big goal once he knew he could get it.”
“Hopefully knocking on wood would be possible for the rest of his career. We tried to rest him and it was difficult.”
“So far it has been going very well. I hope it stays that way, but now he has two weeks off and he doesn’t need any more, I’m sure.”
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