“Absolutely deserved”- Jurgen Klopp gives his verdict on first team ace’s FIFA honour

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on the inclusion of Virgil van Dijk in the FIFA World XI

Speaking in the press conference ahead of the Wolves game (h/t Liverpool website), Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was happy with the inclusion of Virgil van Dijk in the FIFA Men’s Pro World XI.

Klopp also touched on how the Dutchman will slowly get back to his best following a tough season. The defender was out for more than four weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Brentford in early January.

Despite an underwhelming campaign, this inclusion is the result of how good van Dijk was last season just after recovering from a serious ACL injury. It is a testament to his consistency and quality at par with some of the world’s best.

Here’s what Klopp said on the 31-year-old, his inclusion among the best and more (h/t Liverpool website):

“I don’t think he got in this team just because of his last four or five performances, it was because of [the] last year and I think that’s fully and absolutely deserved. He obviously likes it a lot, I could see some reaction, so that’s cool. He was there [at the awards]. [He] asked me if he can go there, yes of course, it’s no problem… it’s great. Once I was there, it’s a nice event. So it’s worth going.”

We live in a world where elite athletes are judged on a daily basis and people want perfection from them in every game. We should also know that it is impossible to perform at your best under pressure for years and years without a dip in form.

After recovering from a serious ACL injury, van Dijk produced a season of top quality last time around when Liverpool were close to winning the quadruple.

Following that up with a short turnaround and a tight schedule, it was expected that the Dutchman won’t be at his best this season. And that has turned out to be the case as well.

The 31-year-old has given us three seasons of the utmost quality. In each of those seasons, we finished with more than 90 points in the league. This is one year where not only he, but the whole squad is suffering from consistency.

More Liverpool News:

• Ramy Abbas Issa downplays Mohamed Salah Liverpool exit fears
• Virgil van Dijk responds to Ruud Gullit’s comments after Liverpool slump
• Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson backs the squad to make a push for a top-four finish

Let’s hope he is back to his best soon and help us win more trophies in the coming years. If that happens, one below-par season will be forgotten anyway.