“The Heir To The Throne” – Emile Heskey Thinks Liverpool Have Already Found Van Dijk’s Successor
Ex-Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes Jeremy Jacquet could well be the “heir” to Virgil van Dijk.
The France international has had a very impressive start to life at Anfield following his £60m switch from Rennes in the summer. Speaking to 10bet about whether Jacquet could be van Dijk’s long-term replacement, Heskey said:
“I think that’s where you’ve got to be looking – the heir to the throne, really. When Liverpool signed him, they would have been squad planning; succession planning, because as magnificent as Virgil is, we know that he can’t play forever.”
“Jeremy Jacquet is showing a lot of talent and a lot of composure. Playing alongside Virgil – what a learning experience for the player, what a tutor to have. He looks like the man that is going to step into his shoes, so he’s going to learn a lot from him. He looks like he could be the real deal.”
Jacquet is a doubt to face Man City
The 21-year-old sustained an injury in training with France last week. He has an issue with his left hamstring and missed Le Bleus’ 4-1 win over Belgium on Monday night as a result.
Jacquet had looked impressive after being handed his first two senior caps by head coach Zinedine Zidane, but his excellent start to the season could be halted if he fails to recover in time for the Man City match this weekend.
Will van Dijk stay at Liverpool beyond next summer?
As Heskey points out, the Netherlands international isn’t getting any younger – he will turn 36 next July, but he is still performing to a very high level.
If he can maintain this form throughout the campaign, there is no reason why the Reds wouldn’t offer him a new contract to extend his stay beyond his current deal that expires on June 30th.
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