Van Dijk: “You’ll Be Completely Overwhelmed” When Arriving at Liverpool

Van Dijk talks about what it felt like to arrive at Anfield.

Virgil van Dijk is going to be captain of Liverpool Football Club one day. I don’t have insider information or anything, but in his 10 months here, van Dijk has show incredible leadership and instantly and visibly improved the team in almost every way. Then when you combine his performances plus interviews like this one, it’s hard to feel any other way.

“After that match [against Everton] we went with the team for a short training camp to Dubai. That was perfect,” he admitted. “That way I got to know everybody in no time and it turned out that it clicked right away. It has always remained that way.

“You know, I’ve only been playing Liverpool for 10 months, but I feel like I’ve been around here for a long time. I can’t do it, you have to feel it [at Anfield], experience it, taste it. It’s as good as gold for me, though.

”Of course I knew Liverpool, who doesn’t in the world. You form a picture of such a club from a distance and then you realise that it must be very big. If you then, like me, start playing with Southampton, it gets a bit deeper. That stadium, those people, the You’ll Never Walk Alone, all great. But then you will be completely surprised and overwhelmed once you sign a contract here. And after that it will take a while before you really get it.”

Try to imagine a more captainy answer, I dare you. He doesn’t just sound like a football player, he sounds like a politician saying all of exact right words. Whatever awe he felt upon first arriving at the club, he didn’t let it get inside of his head or negatively affect his performances. He owned it immediately, like Liverpool was made for him.

Thanks to his help, Liverpool will return from the international break unbeaten in the league and ready to take on Watford.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com