‘The world can be very cruel’ – Van Dijk rules out becoming a manager

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk admits he’s unlikely to become a manager when he stops playing – pointing out the world can be a very cruel place. 

The 28-year-old is in career-best form right now and is among the favourites to claim the Ballon d’Or later this year after helping the Reds win the Champions League last season.

Known for his calm demeanour and good positioning, Van Dijk would seem to possess the necessary attributes for a future switch to management but the player himself is no longer keen on the idea. 

“At the beginning of my career I thought I might be a manager but at this point I don’t think I will become a manager,” Van Dijk told Optus Sport

“The world can be very cruel…there are a lot of people that have opinions and that can affect you – if you have the choice you’d rather not be in those kind of situations.

“But I think I will definitely be involved in football. I won’t be a pundit because you have to be saying certain things that you might not even want to, but you have to. 

“We’ll see, I think I have a good eye for spotting talent so maybe I’ll do something like that.”

After joining Liverpool in 2018 from Southampton, Van Dijk has quickly become a fan favourite and is determined to reward that affection with more success. 

“Everyone that plays for Liverpool always stays in the Liverpool family,” he said. 

“I’m very happy to have already been welcomed into the LFC family, I’m a part of history having won the Champions League and hopefully we keep making history.

“Other than that I just want to be remembered as a fantastic player that gave everything for the team and enjoy every bit of it.” 

The Netherlands international has very quickly left a positive impression upon new Reds keeper Adrian, who saved the decisive penalty in the Reds’ recent UEFA Super Cup win. 

Adrian likened Liverpool’s defenders to animals and said they make his job between the sticks that much easier. 

“It’s really easy to play with them in front of you because they were the best defenders in the Premier League [in 2018-19] and we have one of the best defenders in the world,” Adrian told Liverpool’s website .

“I think, for me as a goalkeeper, they make easy decisions. Honestly, they defend everything like animals! They help me a lot.” 

After winning their first two Premier League games, the Reds face Arsenal on Saturday with both clubs looking to keep their winning starts going. 

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