Virgil van Dijk hits back at Liverpool exit talk

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has clarified recent comments which suggested he was considering his future at the club.

In wake of last week’s announcement that Jurgen Klopp would be stepping down as the Reds’ manager at the end of the season, Van Dijk admitted he did not know whether he would be part of the club’s long-term plans.

However, Klopp sought to defend Van Dijk in a press conference on Tuesday, claiming the defender was caught off guard by such a question and nobody cared about his future until a few days ago.

In an interview with Sky Sports Germany, Liverpool’s club captain insisted he remains focused on his career at Anfield.

Klopp defended Van Dijk on Tuesday / Matt McNulty/GettyImages

“It is much taken out of context,” Van Dijk said of his previous comments.

“To be 100% clear, I am fully committed to the club. I love the club, I love the fans. It is fully taken out of context.

“It is not about me, it is not about I, it is about us, nothing has changed. Five days ago we weren’t even speaking about my contract, so it’s a bit silly. My full focus is on making sure this year is a very special year.

“It was obviously a big announcement the last couple of days, it’s been a big shock to each one of us connected to the club.

“I have been feeling exactly what the fans have been feeling in that exact moment. But, we mean business here.

“We want to crack on, we want to achieve the things that we dreamed of at the start of the season. We are in a good position, so let’s give it our all.

“But, like I said already in the start, don’t get it twisted. I am fully committed to the club and I love it. I love each and every second. I am the captain and we are going to go for it all and let’s see how that goes.

“He is just a human being, he is a bit of a father for us as the squad, he has been that steady figure for so many years and it is going to be strange not having him next season. But I do not want to speak too much about it because we are still in the mix of it, still focused on things we want to achieve.”

90min revealed on Tuesday Liverpool’s plans to keep Van Dijk in the long-term, even if he begins to take on a more reduced role akin to Thiago Silva’s standing at Chelsea.