Virgil van Dijk “Won’t Take Anything for Granted” When He Returns

The Dutch center-back’s plans to enjoy every minute he’s on the pitch when he returns from his long injury layoff.

Virgil van Dijk’s early season knee injury was one of the defining moments of this season for Liverpool. While they managed to grind out mostly positive results for the first few months, the loss of their defensive talisman (and a slew of other injuries) caught up to them as the calendar turned to 2021.

While Liverpool have been focused on trying to salvage their season from being a complete disaster, van Dijk has been focusing on recovering both physically and mentally from his devastating knee injury.

“In this period of being injured, it makes you think about loads of stuff and appreciate even more what you’ve got,” van Dijk said in a recent interview with JBL. “Obviously, it’s not easy, but the most important thing for me is to stay true to myself and work as hard as I can.

It’s not uncommon for players who have experienced serious injuries to use their recovery time to reflect on how fortunate they are to be doing what they love for a living. Many of them gain a new perspective on what they have and how quickly that can go away, and van Dijk is going through that journey right now.

“So, if the time comes back and I’ll be back playing again, then I just have to enjoy every bit of it and try to be the best player I can be. I won’t take anything for granted. I just work, enjoy, have a smile on my face, and try to stay fit.”