Virgil van Dijk brought up five years at Anfield by taking on secondary duties. If his main job is in the centre of defence, he has a part-time role in the recruitment team. He had helped encourage Cody Gakpo to join Liverpool, answering his fellow Dutchman’s questions, probably presenting a persuasive case. “I spoke to him and I can only say good things,” he said.
If, given his success in bringing in the much-coveted Gakpo, his eloquence is called upon again, his tasks for 2023 are not merely tightening up a defence that has conceded in each of Liverpool’s last six league games. Speed and intensity are facets of Jurgen Klopp’s gameplan and a refit has gathered pace as Liverpool have displayed a single-minded focus when pouncing for transfer-market targets.
