Arne Slot Names Liverpool Star Who is Trying to be Made ‘More Professional’ Around AXA Training Centre
Arne Slot has expressed his views on the influence Virgil van Dijk holds at Liverpool following the defender’s decision to sign a new contract with the club.
Slot has praised van Dijk’s exceptional leadership both on the field and within the club’s environment, highlighting the crucial role he plays in maintaining high standards throughout the squad.
Liverpool secured van Dijk’s future earlier this week after he agreed to a fresh two-year deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2027.
Since his £75 million move from Southampton in January 2018, the Dutch defender has made a significant impact, becoming the foundation of a team that has captured seven major honours and is currently vying for a second Premier League crown.
Van Dijk’s quality on the pitch is evident to all who watch him play. However, Slot has been particularly struck by the centre-back’s influence away from matchdays, especially his leadership and example-setting off the pitch.
Slot even noted that van Dijk’s professionalism has encouraged fellow Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch to raise his standards, with both players having featured in every league match so far this season.
What Has Been Said
Ahead of Sunday’s visit to Leicester City—where Liverpool could clinch the title should they win and Arsenal suffer defeat at Ipswich Town—head coach Arne Slot spoke about van Dijk’s qualities. “It’s almost difficult to describe. Because you know how important he is when you see him play, so that’s what we all see.
“Everybody has given him compliments over the years so many times about how good he is as a defender. I mostly watch football and look at ball possession – he’s so, so good at bringing the ball out from the back. His diagonal passes towards Mo [Salah] are known by everyone but the amount of times he plays balls through the lines, the timing when he passes it.
“And then the leader he is in and around this AXA Training Centre, that is something I haven’t worked with, a player like him in terms of leadership. o, the energy he brings to the team in every single training session and how professional he is for himself but also tries to influence his teammates, especially the younger ones.
“I think Ryan [Gravenberch] is a great example for that – he [van Dijk] is constantly on him trying to make him even more of a professional than Ryan already is, but Ryan wasn’t used to playing so many games.
“He’s having a big influence at this club but the main influence he has, of course, is on the weekend, and that is also the thing he has to focus on mostly. But the good thing with him is he also contributes here at the AXA and hopefully he can do that in the upcoming two seasons as well.”
Liverpool’s Ambitions
Van Dijk’s contract extension followed just a week after Mo Salah committed to a new deal. Salah has netted 32 goals across all competitions this season. Slot sees the decision to secure both players as a clear statement of Liverpool’s intent. He commented: “It tells you that we want to keep our best players, the players that have played a great season for so many years in a row now,”
“That we are able to keep them when they are free agents tells you probably the ambitions we have for the upcoming years. I’m really happy that both of them extended. We’ve spoken about Mo last week and Virgil has been so important for us defensively, offensively, in and around the dressing room. A great personality and a great football player.”
In other news, What Liverpool Need to Secure Premier League Title This Weekend with Arsenal Set to Influence Outcome
