Liverpool has ‘big job’ to replace Klopp, says Van Dijk

Van Dijk insisted that despite Klopp’s impending exit, nothing will be different about Liverpool’s approach as the Premier League leader chases silverware in four competitions.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk after the side’s FA Cup match against Norwich. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool has a “big job” to replace Jurgen Klopp when the German steps down at the end of the season.

The Dutchman is coming to terms with Klopp’s shock decision to quit once the current campaign is over. The Reds captain does not believe uncertainty over Liverpool’s long-term future will affect its ambition this season.

It crushed Norwich 5-2 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday in the first game since Klopp’s bombshell announcement. But he knows Liverpool must get it right when it picks Klopp’s replacement.

“The club will have a big job on their hands, that is well known. To replace not only the manager but the whole staff, there are so many things that will change. I’m very curious which direction that will go in but when that will be announced we will see our situation,” Van Dijk said.

“It will be the end of Jurgen Klopp’s era — I am still part of it that’s why I don’t like to talk about it — and that is my main focus. Hopefully, we will have the success we all dream of and by then probably there will be more clarification about what the club wants for the future and then we will see,” he added.

Asked whether he saw himself being part of the next era, Van Dijk added: “That’s a big question. I don’t know.”

Bigger tests await Liverpool on Klopp’s farewell tour, with Chelsea visiting on Wednesday before it heads to Arsenal next weekend.

Van Dijk insists nothing will be different about Liverpool’s approach as the Premier League leader chases silverware in four competitions. “Nothing has really changed. Obviously things will change at the end of the season and in the new season but at the moment it doesn’t and we have to keep doing the same things,” he said.

“It’s easier said than done but I sense the rest of the boys think like that as well and it is the job for me to ensure we keep it that way. We are all human beings and we have emotions — some players feel different about the manager’s announcement than others.

“That’s absolutely normal because everyone thinks in different ways but I didn’t notice the professionalism being dropped or the level of standard. The training sessions I have seen in the last couple of days were not different than before,” Van Dijk said.