Liverpool news: Virgil van Dijk addresses his future as club legend lands new role

· Mirror

Liverpool fans are counting down the days until their team return to Premier League action

Liverpool return to action this weekend as they face Premier League leaders Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday. For now, Andoni Iraola will watch his international stars trickle in as they conclude their duties with their respective countries.

The Reds have a number of tough fixtures on the schedule this month with City visiting as well as two Champions League clashes against LASK and Villarreal. Iraola will also have to manage the squad carefully as the Carabao Cup fourth round is pencilled in at the end of October, when Xabi Alonso's Chelsea come calling.

The Liverpool boss has more injuries to contend with too as Alexander Isak returned to Anfield with a thigh issue. Cody Gakpo also withdrew from the Netherlands camp after picking up an ankle problem with both players now back on Merseyside.

Here, Mirror Football has the latest news coming out of Anfield.

Virgil van Dijk addresses future

Virgil van Dijk insists he is not planning on stepping off the throttle after earning his 100th cap for the Netherlands on Sunday. The Liverpool captain was presented with a commemorative shirt and golden bowl from the Dutch FA before his side's win over Serbia to mark his achievement.

At 35, Van Dijk has now entered the final 12 months of his Reds contract and has been subject to transfer speculation. However, retirement is not on the towering defender's mind as he thanked his supporters after reaching 100 caps.

Van Dijk told NOS:

> "I am very grateful. To the group, the staff, the staff members with whom I have worked in the past. And in the end, I am most grateful for my family. They were there tonight too. > > "A special evening and a great milestone. Definitely something I'm very proud of. For me, it doesn't stop at 100. It's something I never dared to dream, it felt way too far away to even think about when I was young. I got the most out of [my career]. > > "Unfortunately, I missed another year (due to his knee injury in 2020), otherwise I might have been able to come close to Wesley Sneijder (134 caps). But I am proud and happy."

Steven Gerrard lands new job

Steven Gerrard has joined forces with an old foe in Gary Neville, signing up for the ex-Manchester United star's new football programme. The Liverpool legend will appear on 'The Overlap Daily,' a show dedicated to bringing the latest football news and debate across the top leagues worldwide.

It will launch on Friday, October 9 with the first episode featuring Jamie Carragher, Neville and YouTube star Mark Goldbridge. Gerrard has been named alongside several other former footballers, including Joe Hart, Peter Schmeichel, Tim Sherwood and Duncan Ferguson.

Gerrard's first appearance will be on Monday, October 12, alongside presenter Becky Ives.

Read the original

People in this story

Related