Football EPL EPL December PL awards 'icing on the cake' for Klopp and Van Dijk Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk were recipients of Premier League awards after Liverpool's perfect December. Ben Spratt 12 January, 2019 01:10 IST Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk took the Manager of the Month and Player of the Month honours respectively. - Getty Images Ben Spratt 12 January, 2019 01:10 IST Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp celebrated "the icing on the cake" after he and Virgil van Dijk won the Premier League's monthly awards for a flawless December.The league-leading Reds won seven games from seven for the month as it built a seven-point advantage over champion Manchester City at the end of the calendar year.City subsequently began 2019 by beating Liverpool to trim that lead, but Manager of the Month Klopp was still able to reflect on a superb month as he collected his award on Friday."It's nice, the icing on the cake," he said. "It was a very successful but difficult month.READ | Klopp focusing on the future after Liverpool wobble"Each game felt like the most important one of the season. It was unbelievable. The intensity was massive but that's what made it a special month."Van Dijk took the Player of the Month honours and had been the subject of praise from his manager earlier in the day ahead of the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion."Virgil has outstanding potential," Klopp told a news conference. "He is a fantastic person, he is physically strong and he has all the technical things you need."There are so many things that are already good and many things he can also improve. I don't have to judge him now and compare him to other players in the past." Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address. Dugout videos