Virgil van Dijk insists that he will not play in the Eredivisie again with the Premier League giant having come a long way during his time at Liverpool.
The cynics will argue that Van Dijk, during a quite dismal season at Anfield, has been performing almost akin to an Eredivisie centre-half; a division in which defending almost appears to be optional rather than an obligation.
Van Dijk was once again a mile short of his previously sky-high standards as Jurgen Klopp’s side were dismantled by a nerveless Manchester City side on Saturday afternoon. A defeat almost as one-sided as Liverpool’s 7-0 humbling of Manchester United a few weeks previously.
Even with his 32nd birthday approaching, however, Van Dijk is not considering anything other than the task at hand, a return to his North European homeland currently not in the Dutch international’s thoughts.
Virgil van Dijk struggling for form at Liverpool
“I spent ten years in Willem II’s academy. My dream was always to end up in the first team there. Then I went to Groningen, and the normal next step is a move to a Dutch top club,” Van Dijk says in conversation with Dutch legend Jaap Stam, in quotes provided via Voetbal Primeur.
“Feyenoord didn’t have the means to get me under (Ronald) Koeman. That was just the situation. Maybe Jeffrey (Bruma) and (Mike) Van der Hoorn were a step further than me at the time.
“In retrospect you can say; ‘how is that possible’? But that’s just how it goes. My time at Celtic was also just great.”
Van Dijk spent a couple of seasons north of the border at Celtic before joining Southampton in 2015. Two-and-a-half years later, he was on his way to Anfield for a then-world record fee of £75 million.
It is not exactly uncommon for veteran players to re-trace their steps in the autumn of their career. Van Dijk, however, has no plans to pick up where he left off at Groningen nearly a decade ago.
“Willem II is my club. I played there for ten years and had a great time. I am really grateful for that. Returning to Willem II or Groningen is not going to happen,” Van Dijk adds.
“The Eredivisie will not see me again.”
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