VIRGIL Van Dijk appears to be considering his future fresh after leading Holland to the 2026 World Cup.
The 34-year-old clearly has more of his career behind him than ahead of him, but many players have managed to prolong their days with their clubs by calling time on their international endeavours.
Van Dijk will be leading Holland in the summer
Speaking after the Dutch booked their ticket to North America, Van Dijk hinted this could be his final major tournament with his country.
He said : “I obviously want to thank everyone who’s here, all the players, the staff and all the people who make sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
“I’m proud to be the captain of Oranje and to lead you every single time. I’m already excited for the final tournament and to achieve success together.”
It was a two-horse race in Group G for World Cup qualification with Poland the only real contender to the Dutch.
But Ronald Koeman’s men finished three points clear at the top of the group to automatically qualify and they did so without losing any of their eight games and scoring 27 goals.
Van Dijk was back to his imperious best last season as he led Liverpool to the league title in their debut season under .
However, despite a strong start, the Reds have slid down the table to eighth and sit eight point behind league leaders, .
The Reds have lost five league games already this season and Van Dijk has not escaped criticism.
The club captain took exception to suggesting he was taking it easy after signing his new deal at the back end of last season and the pair went back and forth on live TV.
Van Dijk said: “I think it is good that ex-players who played at the highest level who dealt with difficult moments as well puts a lot in perspective [said with a smile as Rooney laughed].”
Rooney retorted: “I think what I’ve said was fair when you win the Premier League and then go on a run where you lose three or four games in a row, which you don’t expect from Liverpool over the last few years.
“As Virgil is captain I think that is your opportunity to go and lead the players and that is what I was saying. That happens in football and I think the response has been great from Virgil and the team.”
Van Dijk took the majority of Rooney’s comments on the chin, but made it clear where he drew the line.
He added: “I think if you watched games then I would definitely take responsibility. I think the comment that I signed my new deal and then it was like ‘that is it’ and I let it slide, I think that was a bit… but that’s my personal opinion and we move on.”
Virgil Van Dijk and Wayne Rooney on Amazon PrimeCredit: TNT Sport
It has not been smooth sailing for Van Dijk and Liverpool this seasonCredit: EPA
Van Dijk has also managed to return to his peak despite suffering an ACL injury in his thirties, so calling time on his international career could keep him playing in the Premier League for a good few years yet.
With Liverpool’s other centre-back Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation still uncertain, the club might need Van Dijk more than ever.
