It was clear that Virgil van Dijk was going to be out for a long time after being on the receiving end of a horrible tackle from Jordan Pickford, but a lot of things were still unclear about his recovery.
Ultimately that would come down to the surgery and how that went, but there’s some great news for the club in that he could return to action this season:
Surgery news on van Dijk huge – means there's a chance he could play again this season.
Klopp says "it was the best news you can get" – and that is significant…means surgery clean & uncomplicated, which is min requirement to cut rehab time from 7+ months, to less than 6.#LFC https://t.co/BXvM4SQp9v
— David Maddock (@MaddockMirror) October 30, 2020
That’s great news for the defender as it could also give him plenty of hope for making the Netherlands team for EURO 2021 as well.
With such a nasty injury there’s always the possibility that he might need more time to get back to his best, and there’s a difference between knowing that he could return and wondering if he should.
The last thing anyone wants to see is him picking up another injury if he’s forced back too quickly, so the ideal situation for Liverpool will see them having little to play for in the final weeks of the season.
If for example the title is already wrapped up or they’re safe in the Champions League spots but some way off first place, then that allows them the freedom to gradually bring him back into the team and he won’t be under pressure to perform straight away.
It would all be part of a process to building him up towards next season anyway, but it will be an amazing recovery if he makes it back onto the pitch this campaign.