The defender says he isn’t thinking about Liverpool’s domestic campaign and is solely focused on his international duty with the Netherlands
Virgil van Dijk is focused purely on ensuring Netherlands complete the job and qualify for Euro 2020, not on Liverpool‘s Premier League title bid.
The Reds defeated reigning champions Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield on Sunday to open up an eight-point gap at the top of the table, with Pep Guardiola’s side nine back.
Powerful centre-back Van Dijk was asked by Sky Sports whether establishing such a commanding lead made it feel like this season could see Liverpool end a 30-year wait for top-flight glory.
But Van Dijk will not look beyond Saturday’s contest with Northern Ireland in Belfast, where a point will be enough for Netherlands to book their place in the Euros.
“I’m not gonna say that [it feels like Liverpool’s year],” he said.
“It’s something for the media. For players the main thing is we focus on the game ahead of us.
“For me personally it’s Northern Ireland, it’s a tough task. What happens with Liverpool in the future we’ll see, we have no influence on it, the season is so long. My focus is on the next game, at the moment that’s [with our] national teams.”
Virgil van Dijk wins the 2019 Goal 50! 🏆
Congrats, @VirgilvDijk 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WwwLDT6w83
— Goal (@goal) November 12, 2019
Van Dijk could be joined in the Premier League by international team-mate Memphis Depay, with the Lyon forward linked with a move to Tottenham or a return to Manchester United.
Depay endured an unhappy 18-month stay at Old Trafford before moving to Ligue 1 in January 2017, but Van Dijk feels he would be an asset to any team.
“He’s a fantastic player, a very important player for our team here at the moment, wherever he goes in the near future it will be a good thing for him,” he added.
“But he’s still at Lyon at the moment you have to respect that, until things happen you have to see how they go.”
When Van Dijk returns from international duty, Liverpool will be facing a busy end to the year as they look to consolidate their excellent start to the season.
They face fixtures with Crystal Palace, Napoli and Brighton before the end of November, followed by the first Merseyside derby of the new campaign at home at the beginning of December.
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