Arne Slot reveals what surprised him most about Virgil van Dijk on his first day as Liverpool manager

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Arne Slot was named as Jurgen Klopp’s successor last summer, with the new Liverpool manager showing himself to be the perfect fit at Anfield.

Liverpool sit top of both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League standings whilst also look comfortable in both the FA Cup and League Cup, with dreams of a quadruple once again on the table under Slot.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	22	16	5	1	54	21	33	53
2	ArsenalArsenal	23	13	8	2	44	21	23	47
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	23	13	5	5	33	27	6	44
4	Man CityManchester City	23	12	5	6	47	30	17	41

With Alexis Mac Allister’s dad impressed by Slot and how the Dutch manager has utilised his Liverpool squad, the former Feyenoord head coach has more than proved himself as the perfect replacement for Klopp at Anfield this season.

Indeed, all signs point towards Slot ending his first year at Liverpool with silverware, yet the former Eredivisie manager was seemingly caught off guard by what he saw from Virgil van Dijk on his first day in charge of the Reds.

Slot amazed by how good Van Dijk was in Liverpool training

Speaking to BBC Sport, Slot revealed that he didn’t expect Van Dijk to be as good as he was, with the Liverpool captain this season thriving under the Dutch manager and playing a key role in the Reds’ success in all competitions.

Although Van Dijk’s Liverpool future remains up in the air, the Merseyside giants would simply not be where they are today without the 33-year-old defender’s performances, which this season have been nothing short of world-class.

And Slot was taken aback by how good the centre-back was, with the Liverpool boss saying: “Everybody here in England would tell you that Virgil van Dijk is the best defender in the world. In Holland, he got a bit more criticism than he gets over here in England.

“I was, in a very positive way, surprised how good he was on the ball and how he could play football through the lines. From the first day I was like: ‘Wow, this is definitely another level that I’m used to’. But people in England were used to this.”

READ MORE: Everything to know on Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk from his tattoo to net worth

How important has Van Dijk been for Liverpool this season?

With Alan Shearer naming Van Dijk as Liverpool’s most important player, a fair argument can be made that the defender is more crucial to the Reds’ game plan than the likes of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the two other players currently set to leave at the end of this season.

And as per Liverpool’s win percentage with and without Van Dijk, it’s clear that the Premier League leaders are much more stable and more likely to come away with a result with the Dutch international on the pitch rather than off it.

Van Dijk has reclaimed his throne this season as the best defender in the world, and Slot being surprised by the centre-back’s quality shows that the Liverpool captain is still yet to fully convince everyone that he’s at the top of his game.