Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed he personally requested extra time off this summer after a marathon season that saw him play more minutes than any other outfield player in Europe's top five leagues.
The 35-year-old, who turned 35 last month, skipped the club's pre-season tour of the United States to focus on his fitness at the AXA Training Centre, avoiding the jet lag of long-haul travel.
Record-Breaking Workload
Van Dijk clocked up 5,841 minutes before the World Cup, then added every minute of the Netherlands' run to the last-32, taking his total to 6,141 minutes over 69 appearances for club and country—an average of 89 minutes per game.
That workload, coming after his recovery from an ACL injury in 2020, prompted the skipper to request a longer break than usual.
"I've had six, seven or eight days [training], so I was very keen to get minutes in my legs and glad I came out of it with no issues," Van Dijk said after his first pre-season appearance.
New Era Under Iraola
Van Dijk is now preparing for his third Liverpool manager in Andoni Iraola, following Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot. With young defenders Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet yet to play in the Premier League, and Joe Gomez again injured, Van Dijk's experience is vital.
"It has been absolutely fine [working with Iraola], we had a great conversation in the first week when it got announced and the main thing for him to know is that I am here for him regardless," he said.
"Anything he needs, wants to know, wants me to do for the team or whatever I am here for him and hopefully we will be successful this season and that's what we want."
Personal Request
Van Dijk explained his decision to skip the US tour: "I definitely asked for a good break because I felt like I needed it, not only physically but mentally as well.
"It was a very demanding year from before pre-season started last year until the day I got knocked out of the World Cup so I felt like I needed a good break and I had maybe three days more than Ryan (Gravenberch), Flo (Wirtz) and Alex (Isak).
"For me it was key I didn't want to go to America because I didn't want to get jet lag and after come back from that as well.
"And I felt like having a couple of extra days at the AXA, doing the testing before the team was there and getting ready for when the team was back to immediately crack on, I felt that was for me personally the best way."
Ready to Lead
Despite his age, Van Dijk insists he remains as committed as ever: "Yes [I'm ready to go again]. Are you going to say I'm 35 years old and I can't do it?
"At the end of the day, you have to look after yourself. You have to be, I wouldn't say lucky, but you have to do everything in your power.
"That is the bare minimum for me because I feel the responsibility to be ready for each and every game. We play every three days. Between games, at home, at the training ground, you have to do everything in your power to be ready to play again.
"For me, I feel good. I am also a late bloomer so you know, maybe...it is what it is.
"I feel fine and I want to make all the fans proud all over the world that support us wherever we go, and that is by winning games and by showing what it means to wear the shirt every time, and that is for me the bare minimum anyway, so we keep going."
Transition Season
With the departures of Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, Van Dijk acknowledges this feels like a new era: "It definitely feels like a bit of a transition, for sure. It is down to everyone associated with Liverpool to make sure we are building something that will be successful for years to come.
"This year, we want to be successful, but there is a lot of work still to be done.
"We all know how difficult it is to be playing in the Premier League, the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League, so we need everyone at their best.
"We need to be consistent and win more games. Let's see what the next couple of weeks are going to bring [in the transfer window]. Any quality we can add to the team will definitely be welcome so let's see."
