Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that star defender Virgil Van Dijk is set to be fit to face his former club Southampton this evening at St Mary’s.
Van Dijk, a £75m signing in January 2018 from Friday night’s opponents, was reported to be struggling with an injury following the Reds’ last-minute 2-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield, but Klopp has allayed all concerns ahead of a crucial encounter on the South Coast.
“Yes, it looks quite good,” said Klopp regarding Liverpool’s squad ahead of the clash.
“No major concerns, actually, so we have to see until the matchday obviously but after the [Spurs] game probably thinking about Virg. He trained normal, everything OK.
“Yesterday [Tuesday] we only had a second recovery session but he was involved in that and I heard nothing different that he could maybe not train today. No, it looks all OK.”
The news will come as a major boost to Klopp and Liverpool, having fallen to second in the Premier League table after Manchester City won their game-in-hand against Cardiff mid-week.
The game against Southampton presents an alternative narrative to solely one of crucial importance, with the Merseysiders regularly cherrypicking the best talent from St Mary’s and carting them up to the North-West.
One player who fits that bill entirely and is likely to face up against his former club on Friday is Senegalese winger Saido Mane, announced today as a shortlisted candidate for the Premier League’s player of the month for March.
Mane alongside his teammates will be keen to continue to apply pressure to Guardiola and City at the summit of the Premier League table, though the news that Liverpool’s talisman Van Dijk will be in the starting XI provides huge impetus to their bid to collect all three points against Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men.
