Liverpool journalist Paul Gorst has shed some light on Reds defender Virgil van Dijk and the injury he sustained during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Everton at the weekend.
This comes after Gorst recently made an appearance on a special bonus episode of the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red Podcast that was released after news broke out that Van Dijk will undergo surgery on his knee as a result of the injury he suffered at Goodison Park.
Here’s what Gorst had to say on the situation.
He said: “Van Dijk was initially sent to a hospital on Saturday evening, he left that hospital on crutches. He was subsequently sent for a second opinion via a specialist today [Sunday] and Liverpool were hopeful that they’d have some news today and the news is not good.
“He’s set to undergo surgery, he has sustained ACL damage, there’s no timeframe as of yet as to how long he’s going to be absent for, which is probably not what Liverpool fans want to hear but Liverpool are trying to be sensible and proactive in terms of how they’re taking this injury.
“It’s looking like he faces certainly an uphill battle I’d suggest at this stage to play again before this season is out and obviously with the Euro’s coming up in the summer, it’s going to be difficult for him to get back to full fitness for that, but it’s not being ruled out but there’s no underlying optimism, shall we say from the people I’ve spoken to today.”
The Dutch defender was forced off the pitch in the early stages of the match against Everton after a collision with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, damaging his knee in the process.
Later, the official Liverpool club website revealed that after Van Dijk has his surgery, he will then begin a “rehabilitation programme with the club’s medical team to enable him to reach full fitness as soon as possible.”
Before suffering his injury, Van Dijk was having a fairly underwhelming season for Jurgen Klopp’s side with WhoScored giving him a season rating of 6.45/10 for his performances in the five Premier League appearances he has made.
Will Virgil van Dijk be a big miss for Liverpool?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Paul Gorst’s comments on Van Dijk’s injury…
Even though he wasn’t having an amazing season for Liverpool so far, it’s still a shame that Van Dijk will seemingly be out of action for a while.
Hopefully, Van Dijk can overcome this injury and get through the rehabilitation programme the club have set up for him when the time comes.