Ronald Koeman has revealed that he flew to England in recent weeks to speak with Virgil van Dijk about his future with the Netherlands national team.
The 33-year-old cast doubt over his further Oranje involvement after their Euro 2024 semi-final defeat in July, and he’s also into the final year of his contract at Liverpool, with the defender facing big decisions at both club and international level.
Speaking ahead of the UEFA Nations League commencing later this week, the former Everton boss – who’s now in charge of his country – highlighted how the Reds captain is feeling after having a conversation with him in person.
Koeman said (via De Telegraaf): “I noticed how Virgil was feeling, so I thought it was important to visit him. He indicated that he still wants to go for it for two years, towards the World Cup. I have that feeling with him too, despite the fact that he did not reach his level at the last European Championship.”
Koeman was speaking solely about Van Dijk’s future with Netherlands, rather than making any reference to Liverpool, although there may be subtle clues about the latter in the 61-year-old’s comments.
If the defender is determined to still represent his country at the World Cup in two years’ time (assuming the Oranje qualify), it seems likely that he’ll want to continue playing at a high level until that tournament, namely in Europe rather than absconding to the Saudi Pro League.
Therefore, there appears to be a discernible possibility that the 33-year-old would extend his time at Anfield until at least the summer of 2026 – if indeed the Reds’ hierarchy show initiative and offer him a new contract before his current deal expires next June.
The performances that he showed last season and in the early weeks of this campaign show that he’d be more than worthy of being kept on for another year or two at a minimum, even if Liverpool rarely offer lucrative extensions to players in their 30s.
It’s a sensible and pragmatic policy, for sure, but every so often there are cases where it’d be foolish not to make an exception – and Van Dijk is one of those.
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