Virgil van Dijk may well have sent a shiver down the spines of Liverpool fans with comments that he made on Wednesday night after Netherlands’ elimination from Euro 2024.
Speaking after the agonising semi-final defeat to England, the Reds captain said that he’d have to ‘think carefully’ about his future at club and international level, with the 33-year-old now into the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield.
However, in his Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano insisted that there’s no reason for LFC supporters to panic and that there’s nothing cryptic to read into what the defender said.
The journalist outlined: “There’s nothing at all in Virgil van Dijk’s answer on his future; he was just being honest in a post-match interview after an intense game by saying that he will discuss his future after the holidays.
“He has not discussed or decided anything now, he was only focused on the Euros, and this is the situation as of today.”
While Van Dijk’s comments may have come across to Liverpool fans as him being doubtful over his long-term future at Anfield, in truth it’s simply a case that the matter is unresolved beyond the end of his current deal.
He still has the best part of six months to agree new terms before clubs can approach him about a pre-contract move, which should give him plenty of time to decide what he wants.
As Romano rightly points out, the 33-year-old’s answer was given at a time when the bitter disappointment of a European semi-final defeat was hugely raw, and the player has every right to now switch off after a lengthy campaign for club and country before making any significant career decisions.
The time will come when Van Dijk has to make a call one way or the other as to whether or not he’ll stay on at Liverpool beyond next summer, but for now we can probably assume that he remains committed to the cause and, as ever, will give everything on the pitch once the season begins in five weeks’ time.
If you were left fearing the worst after what our captain said on Wednesday night, you can relax for the time being!
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