Virgil van Dijk didn't like Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool rule he's introduced for Germany

· Mirror

Virgil van Dijk publicly addressed a rule Jurgen Klopp has implemented with Germany

Virgil van Dijk admitted he didn’t like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool rule which he has now introduced with Germany. Legendary former Reds boss Klopp left Anfield in the summer of 2024 and spent the last 18 months as the global head of football for Red Bull.

The 59-year-old is now in charge of his country’s national team and has begun overseeing training for the first time since his Liverpool exit over two years ago. Klopp has introduced sweeping regime changes since taking charge of the Germany national team, including four new rules in an effort to restore Die Mannschaft to its former glory after a rotten run at major tournaments.

One rule Klopp has reportedly implemented is Germany’s players needing to arrive for dinner at the team hotel together at the same time each evening, typically 7pm or 8pm.

Making players stay in a hotel - away from their families - on the eve of matches is not a universally popular move. One player who wasn’t a fan of the rule during Klopp’s highly successful time at Liverpool was his star defender and captain, Van Dijk.

In late 2024, after the German’s successor Arne Slot scrapped the rule, allowing players to stay at their own homes instead of a hotel before playing at home, the veteran centre-back voiced his appreciation for Slot’s change. Van Dijk said: "It's everyone's own preference, but it's the rules now.

> "Personally, I like to sleep in my own bed and be with my family, and so it works out quite well. But what we did in the past worked out quite well, too, as we've been very successful in terms of winning."

Klopp has also introduced a rule barring families from accompanying players at all times during major tournaments. This will only be allowed on an occasional basis.

The former Liverpool boss has also reportedly introduced two bans that will affect members of the Germany national team. Players will no longer be able to have mobile phones on matchdays, and will also no longer be allowed to have a haircut while at the team hotel.

Germany will have four Nations League fixtures over the next three weeks, while the extended international break takes centre stage in the football world.

Klopp gets his tenure underway with four games, which will include an away trip to face the Netherlands on Thursday night, a home clash against Serbia and a double-header against Greece.

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