Virgil van Dijk has admitted that the noise surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure from Liverpool has been challenging, but insists that life at Anfield must continue.
Two weeks after being booed by home fans, Alexander-Arnold was given a warm welcome when he came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace in his final appearance for the Reds before moving to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
The local lad couldn't hold back his tears during the title celebrations, but Van Dijk — who spent much of the season uncertain about his own future before signing a two-year contract — emphasizes that the club is bigger than any one player.
"I won't say it's a sad situation, but obviously it's not a great situation for anyone," Van Dijk said about the England international's exit.
"We all wanted Trent to stay, because you see the quality that he brings to the team. So we're all gutted that he's leaving."
"He made the decision with his family that 20 years at Liverpool comes to an end, and we all have to deal with it. Like the club has been dealing with certain situations like that in the past.
Alexander-Arnold leaves Liverpool after 20 years with the club
Alexander-Arnold leaves Liverpool after 20 years with the club (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images For The Premier League)
"But obviously I think everyone understood that the message was all about celebrating, I'm glad that he got the farewell that he deserved as well, for everything he's done on the pitch."
In the meantime, Van Dijk plans to enjoy Liverpool's title success for another two days before getting straight back to work.
The Reds' captain will be the star of today's open-top bus parade, but he'll soon be jetting off for international duty with the Netherlands for World Cup qualifiers.
"We are the champions, well-deserved champions," he declared. "No one can take it away from us. We deserved it, we have to enjoy it, until a certain point. Then after that, we're completely focused on how we're going to attack next season.
When quizzed about the duration of his celebrations, Van Dijk responded: "Probably Thursday. Yeah. I'll meet up on Tuesday with the national team, so I'll give myself plenty of time to recover.
"We have to take some time and digest this because these things don't happen often. So I'm a really big believer in taking your time with it.
Virgil Van Dijk kicked off the ongoing title celebration on Sunday
Virgil Van Dijk kicked off the ongoing title celebration on Sunday (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool's parade attracted hundreds of thousands of fans to the streets in celebration, but Van Dijk said plans already are in motion to bolster the squad for next season, amid rumors linking them to German sensation Florian Wirtz.
"This has to give you motivation, the fuel, that hunger to try and do it again," he expressed.
"I think it's the hardest thing to do to retain a title. But we have the quality and the club is doing a lot of work behind the scenes.
"You have to strengthen the squad, and we have to have a good pre-season as well. But first, we're going to celebrate."