Virgil van Dijk has admitted that his red card for Liverpool this season was ‘not typical’ of him.
Van Dijk was sent off for a late challenge on Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak at the end of August. Having missed last weekend’s win over Aston Villa, there’s still a chance that the Dutchman could be suspended for even longer.
In the meantime, Virgil is away with the Netherlands on international duty. And speaking to the Dutch press via Reuters during his time away, the 32-year-old looked back at his sending off.
“That was not typical for me but that was the red card anyway,” he said. “I’ve never got one before at Liverpool, and I think only about four times in my entire career. But apart from that I still started the season well.
“I feel good and strong. I think it went well against Chelsea and Bournemouth. Despite the red card, the start was fine. I cannot wait to return.”
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Van Dijk surprises himself
This was indeed the first time Van Dijk had been sent off in the almost six years since his £75m move to Liverpool.
In some ways, the manner of the tackle that gave him his marching orders might be cause for alarm from some. The way he crashed into Isak was so far from the cool and composed Virgil we’ve become used to.
But, and we might be in a minority here, we really liked it.
Not the execution, obviously. Van Dijk came straight through the Newcastle man, and although it still feels a harsh sending off, by the letter of the law it is one.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see the captain being proactive. In a difficult year for him last season, Van Dijk was often criticised for being far too passive.
The early signs of this campaign are that he’s taken that on board and is ready to prove people wrong.
As Virgil points out, the red aside, he’s actually been very good otherwise. He was excellent at Chelsea and recovered well to dominate against Bournemouth, too. He’ll hopefully be back for Wolves next week, but if not, his return will be very welcome whenever it is.