Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has been the talk of the Premier League recently. The Dutchman suffered a serious knee injury in the Merseyside derby last weekend and is set to undergo surgery.
Van Dijk is expected to miss the majority of this season, and that’s a huge blow for Liverpool. The former Celtic man is one of the main reasons why the Reds have been so successful in the past two years.
Liverpool struggled at the back at times against Ajax in the Champions League last night. Van Dijk’s absence has removed the sense of calm the Reds usually have at the back, but they still managed to pick up a victory and a clean sheet.
Their first test in the league without Van Dijk will be against Sheffield United but the Blades, after their incredible campaign last term, are in a spot of bother too.
Chris Wilder’s men have just one point after five games and the Blades boss claimed his side have suffered a lot more recently compared with Liverpool.
Wilder: Blades have suffered bigger blows
He told The Examiner: “It’s all relative. Us losing Jack O’Connell, (John) Fleck and (Lys) Mousset are huge blows to us and bigger to us than (Liverpool) losing Virgil van Dijk.
“We all have to go through these situations and there are still some world-class players (at Liverpool), some really good players who can fit into that.
“And they have still got those three at the top of the pitch who can hurt anyone on their day.
“We know we have to play at our maximum to get a result and we will go there and see what we can do.”
O’Connell, like van Dijk, may not play again this season. Mousset underwent a minor operation and is expected to miss the Liverpool game too.
Fleck has injured his lower back and is expected to be out for at least four weeks. Having three major players injured has clearly had an impact on recent results.
The game at Anfield is a hugely difficult one for Sheffield United, but they should back themselves. As Aston Villa showed before the international break, this Liverpool side is beatable.
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