Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool urged to sign Koulibaly by pundit
Virgil van Dijk is set to miss the rest of the Premier League season after suffering an ACL injury in the Merseyside Derby, and former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes his injury will be bad news for Trent Alexander-Arnold in particular.
Virgil van Dijk injury could expose Liverpool problem with Trent Alexander-Arnold (Image: GETTY)
The rest of the team was largely unchanged, though Jordan Henderson missed out and was replaced by teenager Curtis Jones.
But Owen believes the way Liverpool play will be impacted by the absence of Van Dijk, particularly in defence.
Speaking to BT Sport, he explained that with no Van Dijk in the team, Alexander-Arnold might have to play in a more defensive role than usual.
The English right-back is known for his attacking ability, and often plays in the opposition half, finding holes in opposition defences and using his incredible crossing ability to create problems.
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"Defensively there are some question marks at times and Van Dijk would mop them up."
Speaking before Wednesday night’s game against Ajax, Klopp insisted his team’s style of play wouldn’t be hampered too much by the absence of Van Dijk.
He conceded that there was nothing he could do to change things, and instead declared he was confident in the players he had at his disposal.
Klopp said: "We don't think about [injuries] but are constantly then asked about it so it's then difficult not to think about it.
Virgil van Dijk injury could expose Liverpool problem with Trent Alexander-Arnold (Image: GETTY)
“But when we are alone we just focus on the way it always is. Depending on the quality of players you miss it's always like this.
“Then you focus on the players you have available and that's all you can do.
"Football depends on the quality of individual players but not as much as people might think.
“It's all about perception. You might think certain situations with Van Dijk might be different, yeah, you cannot change that. We don't think like this."
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