Virgil van Dijk was reportedly heard shouting at his Liverpool teammates in their 4-4 pre-season draw against Gruther Furth, with the defender tipped to become the new Reds captain.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the Dutch international was heard bellowing instructions multiple times in Liverpool’s entertaining result against the second-tier German side, with Van Dijk again taking the armband.
The former Southampton defender has led Liverpool out in both their pre-season fixtures this summer, and there’s a growing chance that Van Dijk could be named captain in the coming weeks.
Skipper Jordan Henderson is set to complete a move to Saudi Arabia later this week, with Van Dijk the clear favourite to take the captain’s armband from the England international.
Other candidates for the captaincy could include the likes of Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah or even Trent Alexander-Arnold. Yet Van Dijk seems like the most obvious fit for the role.
Indeed, the defender already holds the captaincy for the Netherlands, and with Van Dijk an on-pitch leader for Liverpool, the choice seems obvious as to who replaces Henderson for the role.
Van Dijk could become Liverpool’s next great captain
Liverpool’s history is filled with many great captains, and Van Dijk can easily place his name on that list when the defender officially takes over from Henderson later this summer.
The Reds are entering an interesting period under Jurgen Klopp, and it will be up to Van Dijk to push Liverpool through their newest era and to take the Anfield side back to the top of the footballing world.
Success next season is critical for Liverpool, and for Van Dijk, the defender can put in the groundwork to becoming a great captain by firing up his team to silverware and a top-four finish in the new campaign.
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