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Virgil van Dijk sent an “optimistic and inspiring” message to his Liverpool teammates after receiving the news of his ACL injury, according to Jordan Henderson.
Dutch defender Van Dijk faces an uphill battle to play again this season after sustaining a serious injury early in last weekend’s Merseyside derby.
He is a very important figure both on the pitch and in the locker room, and the news of his injury is a major blow to Liverpool’s hopes of defending the Premier League title.
But Reds captain Henderson insists the 29-year-old was in a good mood when he contacted his teammates after news of the injury.
(Image: POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
“It is his presence and personality that will leave a hole on match days and in practice,” Henderson told Liverpool’s matchday program. “As important as the fans think it is, for us as teammates it is even more so.
“It was typical of Virgilio that after digesting the news, one of the first messages he sent to us, to all of us, was optimistic and inspiring.
“The exact content, of course, will remain private, but there wasn’t a word in there that made him feel sorry for himself. It was about looking ahead and making sure he comes back better and stronger.
“Likewise, when he came to Melwood on Tuesday, he was radiating positivity. That’s the great man. And it is up to us to take their lead and think only of the positive impact that we can all have from this moment on.
Can Liverpool win the Premier League this season without Van Dijk? Give us your opinion here.
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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“Any team on the planet would miss Virgil, that’s just common sense. But in the spirit of not making a problem bigger than necessary, we can’t do anything about it for a while. What we can do is focus on being better ourselves. “
Henderson also discussed the many options that can be given the opportunity to intensify Van Dijk’s absence.
And he added: “I look at the players we have who can play that position and I would not change them for anyone else. Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho are players of international quality who have produced for us as a team time and time again.
“Nat Phillips is almost back in top form and has the ability to be a very good center. Rhys Williams has really impressed me with his attitude and mindset. Billy Koumetio and Sepp van den Berg too. All learning in the best environment there is.
Are any of them Virgil van Dijk? No … but it is not necessary. They just need to be themselves and give everything they have for this club, whether in training or when called in games. And the rest of us have to be there to help.
Virgil will be back with us in no time, I’m sure. Because he is such an extraordinary professional, I know that he will come back not only as well but better. He is the type of character who will use time to learn and develop. But while we wait for it we don’t stop. “
Liverpool beat Ajax 1-0 in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday and returned to Premier League action on Saturday night against Sheffield United.
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