Van Dijk thrilled after signing new Liverpool contract
What did Van Dijk say?
Speaking to the club's website, the 30-year-old said, "Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club.
"It has been going well; unfortunately last season for me personally has been a season to forget, to learn from and take with me, but I have enjoyed my time here and will keep enjoying it in the next couple of years altogether with all of you.
"It didn't take too long to feel like that (at home), to be fair, with the help of my teammates, especially in the beginning, the staff and especially the fans, how they have welcomed me from the start.
"Where I am today, how I feel today, is (as) a very senior, important player for the team and for the club. That's just a fantastic feeling and why I definitely feel at home here."
While asked about his targets for the new season, he replied, "I want to play as much as I can again, back to normality. I am not a player who had a lot of injuries before, luckily, so hopefully we can keep it that way from now on. It is going to be interesting because obviously I have to manage myself with the help of the others, but if I feel good – and that's how I am feeling at the moment, but obviously you need a bit of time to get back to the full, full fitness and the only way to do that is by playing games, especially in my case. I know my body as good as anyone, so I need games. The next one is Saturday and we'll see what happens."
Jurgen Klopp delighted with the news of his player's extension
During his pre-match press conference for the game against Norwich, Jurgen Klopp was asked about his reaction to Van Dijk's extension news and the manager said, "It's great news.
"The good thing about this signing is that we know him already, we've used him before quite successfully and we are really happy that he is happy here. Even more so after that obviously very difficult last year that he is back on track, trains with the team and prepares for hopefully a very successful future at this club.
"Absolutely great, great news. Imagine if we would have had to buy this boy now – thank God we only had to give him a new contract!"
"He's Virgil. Virgil was out for a long time, and is now training with the team for three-and-a-half weeks, which is absolutely great.
"He played minutes in different games, played longer, in the last game I am pretty sure he could have played 90 minutes, we just didn't try to do it. He is in good shape and is an important player for us so we're really happy with the situation."
Will Van Dijk be the same after that horrific injury?
It's hard to say for all of us how strong Van Dijk will be coming back from an injury that is considered the worst in the sport. The controversial moment last season when Everton's Pickford took the Dutchman out in the Merseyside Derby was the moment Liverpool lost their starting defender for the rest of the season. His absence was felt in a symbolic way. Some big injuries followed as well, but Van Dijk's one was the biggest.
Liverpool have not been great in the summer window. Konate's signing is a brilliant one, but they did not replace Wijnaldum. Also, they didn't bring in an attacking player, something the fanbase demanded.
However, they are still Klopp's Liverpool, and they have proved in the past that they can do wonders with a thin squad. This season, Chelsea have strengthened even more, and Manchester United have done the same by signing Sancho and Varane. Citizens have signed Grealish and could yet sign Harry Kane as well. When we compare Liverpool's activity to their competitors, it's just not convincing.
Van Dijk's return is a massive boost for the club. It's almost like a new signing. His influence in Liverpool's success domestically as well as in Europe was astronomical.
Of course, there are questions regarding his fitness after a bad injury. However, the fanbase and the club as a whole are hopeful that their star-man could replicate his pre-injury heroics.
