Image Credits: Imago Images
Virgil van Dijk was always going to be asked about the turmoil back at Liverpool while on Netherlands duty – and he did not dodge the subject
The captain has lived through the full Arne Slot rollercoaster at Anfield: the emotional high of a title-winning first campaign and then the crushing low of a flat, disjointed title defence that ultimately cost his compatriot his job.
Slot’s dismissal, confirmed after an end‑of‑season review, arrived just days after Liverpool’s disappointing fifth‑place finish and a string of lifeless performances that had soured the mood around Anfield.
The club quickly moved to accelerate plans for a successor with Andoni Iraola widely expected to take over.
Speaking to Dutch media while with Holland last night, Virgil van Dijk was surprised at questions around Arne Slot but admitted that the 47-year-old’s dismissal came as a surprise to him:
“How did that news come to me? As a surprise. The fact that you are asking this question now also surprises me,” he said as quoted by SoccerNews.NL
“I have spoken with Arne and Sipke, that is the most important thing for me. I am grateful to them for what they have meant to me and the club. I wish them nothing but success.
“Liverpool will hopefully come out of it well, because this season was below par,” explained van Dijk.
“I landed in Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon and by then it had actually already been leaked. Of course, I had conversations afterwards, but the decision was already made in the morning. Arne had already been informed.”
Liverpool believes a reset is needed after a lacklustre campaign, but the captain’s respectful tone towards Slot and his staff shows there is still plenty of appreciation inside the squad for the work done over the past two years.
With a new manager set to walk through the doors at Kirkby, Van Dijk’s comments make it clear he expects Liverpool to bounce back strongly from a poor season at Anfield.