Virgil van Dijk has urged Florian Wirtz not to lose confidence in his world-class ability despite the German still awaiting his first Liverpool goal. The £116m summer signing thought he had scored against Sunderland on Wednesday, but the equaliser was later ruled an own goal by defender Nordi Mukiele. The 22-year-old remains without a goal or assist in 13 Premier League appearances for the champions.
Van Dijk, however, insists Wirtz is on the right path at Liverpool. “There’s a very good reason why a club like us bought him: he’s an outstanding, world-class player in my eyes who can only become even better but it will take a bit of time,” the Liverpool captain said. “Don’t get dragged into the numbers game. Nowadays there are a lot of eyes on if you score goals or have an assist, but it is also about the contribution you have for the team.”
The Netherlands captain, who joined Liverpool for a then world-record fee for a defender in 2018, spoke to Wirtz about the pressure of a big-money transfer. “In the beginning we spoke about the fee but you have to deal with it yourself,” Van Dijk added. “He is still such a young, talented boy who came to the club for a lot of money but he didn’t pay that money. He just has to keep going and enjoy being part of the biggest club in the world.”
Van Dijk also addressed Mohamed Salah’s recent omission from the starting line-up. “Mo has been like he should be: disappointed. But we need him and he will still be important. The manager made that decision in the last two games. We all want the best for the club. I am pretty sure Mo will still be a big part of what we are trying to achieve.”
