Injured Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk to be out for more than one month, confirms coach Jurgen Klopp
Virgil Van Dijk out for more than a month, confirms Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool suffered a huge blow in their quest for a top four finish as their star defender Virgil Van Dijk suffered a hamstring injury during the match against Brentford,coach Jurgen Klopp revealed. During Liverpool’s 1-3 defeat to Brentford in an away clash, Van Dijk was substituted at the halftime as part of the triple change by Klopp. As per the coach, Van Dijk is likely to spend more than four weeks on sideline – something he considers as a massive blow going forward.
Speaking to the media ahead of his side’s third-round match at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, Klopp said,
“Virgil was a surprise for us and a big blow. He didn't feel a lot. The diagnosis was pretty harsh. We're talking about weeks, more than a month, but I hope it goes quick. It's hard for him, but he has played an incredible amount of games in recent years.”
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"It's the hamstring. He never had an issue with muscles before, never mentioned anything. It just now happened, it was one sprint too much," Klopp added.
Cody Gakpo is a good footballer – Klopp
Following the latest signing of Dutch forward Cody Gakpo, who is likely to make his English league debut against Wolves on Saturday, Klopp heaped praises on him saying, he is a good footballer and likes to shoot from a distance. Adding that Cody looks pretty fit, the management will go easy on him in terms of expectations as everyone knows it isn’t easy to come and deliver in a new league.
"He's a good footballer, good in small spaces, likes to shoot from distance, good finisher and dribbler," Klopp said. "Everybody who wants to know about him could know as there are a lot of videos out there about him. It is nice to see in real life, in front of you.
"He looks really promising and fit. The sessions are intense for him because they're different. I'm very positive about him. Coming from a new league is always difficult, but we expect a positive impact," the manager added.
Liverpool is currently placed sixth with 28 points from 17 matches played. They will next face Brighton on January 14th in an away match.
