It was in the Merseyside derby against Everton in October last year that Virgil van Dijk seriously injured his knee, which has kept him away for a long time and among other things made him miss the European Championships with the Netherlands.
Now Liverpool’s back giant is back in action – more than nine months after he injured himself. In tonight’s training match against German Hertha BCS, van Dijk had to jump into the second half, in minute 70.
Joe Gomez, who has also had injury problems, also had to make a comeback as a substitute against Hertha.
– It was a nice feeling, says coach Jürgen Klopp about having his teeth back in a comment on Liverpool’s website.
Even if the effort was not one hundred percent when Hertha scored even after they came in, Klopp believes that it was an important step for the duo.
– It’s around 260 days since “Virg” last played and not much less for Joe, so it’s good to have them back. It was a first step, very important, he says.
Liverpool lost the training match by 3-4, where the goals were scored by Sadio Mané, Takumi Minamino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. For Hertha, the new acquisition Stevan Jovetic scored two goals.
Liverpool start the Premier League season away against newcomer Norwich City on 14 August.
After months of hard work together, back on the pitch together ????
A fitting moment ❤️ pic.twitter.com/l6WleegrRQ
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 29, 2021
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