Virgil van Dijk has admitted that he will put his friendship with Manchester City defender Nathan Ake to one side when Liverpool visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.
The Netherlands internationals have become very close friends on and off the pitch in recent years, not least because they both reside in the Cheshire countryside. The pair of them have been among the Premier League's best defenders in recent years and also started alongside each other in each of the Netherlands' five World Cup matches in Qatar at the end of last year.
They, too, also started the Netherlands' 4-0 defeat to France last Friday evening and Monday's 3-0 win over Gibraltar, in which Ake scored an unlikely brace to help Ronald Koeman's side record their first win of their European Championship qualifying campaign. Although Van Dijk celebrated both of those goals, and is a huge fan and friend of his international colleague, he will putting his friendship with him aside when City and Liverpool go toe-to-toe this weekend.
