Liverpool face Napoli and Manchester City this week and Virgil van Dijk will play through the pain to help his side pick up six important points at a crunch period of the season.
Fans were astounded by the recovery pace shown by van Dijk on Sunday to intercept Willian after N’Golo Kante put the Brazilian through on goal and his dominant figure will be needed again this week.
The Reds are coming to the end of an incredibly tough run of fixtures which could see them go into the second international break of the season top of the Premier League with a win over Manchester City on Sunday.
And van Dijk will be on hand to help beat the Citizens at Anfield despite carrying a rib injury that saw him withdrawn from action against Southampton over a week ago.
“My ribs are okay,” Virgil told the Liverpool Echo. “I took some painkillers, but not much, it was more about being strong and being a warrior.
“You never really play completely pain free. You are always going to have something – you are never going to be 100% totally fit throughout the season.
“It was about managing it and giving everything for the team and for the fans. I was desperate to be out there.
“We did everything we could to get me out there and it worked out well. I’m really happy. In my position, you need to jump a lot and be able to compete physically so you use your ribs quite a bit.
“During the PSG game I got a knock in the ribs and was struggling a bit. Then I got another knock in the same area against Southampton. I was like: ‘Come on, I never get any knocks there and then I get two in four days!’
“Luckily, I was able to get back pretty quick. Now it’s all good.”
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