
Virgil van Dijk’s recovery from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament took a huge step forward after Liverpool posted a video of him running on the pitch at Kirkby on Thursday afternoon.
At the time of writing, the Dutchman has been injured for a total of 45 games. He suffered a tear of his ACL after a shocking tackle Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford placed too much stress on his knee.
The challenge was bad enough but matters were made worse by the fact that the VAR on the day, David Coote, didn’t even advise the referee, Michael Edwards, to send Pickford off and the Blues went on to hold Liverpool to a draw.
Not only has van Dijk missed the entirety of the 2020/21 season, but he is also now at risk of being out for the Netherlands’ Euro campaign.
Liverpool fans react to van Dijk running on the training pitch
Whatβs happened?
— πΌπ£ππππ‘π ππππππ© (@AnfieldEffect) April 29, 2021
Now announce the bad news because we all know you gonna do that after this
— β‘οΈβ‘οΈ (@its_me_axad) April 29, 2021
This content soon YNWA pic.twitter.com/fJrMlcDNQB
— supermane10 (@supermanelfc) April 29, 2021
Waiting for the bad news to drop… pic.twitter.com/is9QoMYs2t
— F (@Zahralfc_) April 29, 2021
Last time we saw him come out of the basement the super league was announced
— abi (@abibowenn) April 29, 2021
Can't wait for next season π€© start from the scratch and finish it in the top
— Vijayadurga Vasan (@Durga_LFC) April 29, 2021
Thankfully, Liverpool didn’t follow the encouraging post up with any bad news and I think now fans need to instead focus on how good it is to see our no.4 back in good shape after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The former Southampton man is arguably the most important player at the club, with only Mohamed Salah on the same level in terms of influence.
Like van Dijk, the Egyptian’s absence would have the potential to derail the entire season if he were to be ruled out with a long term injury.
Fortunately, Salah seems to be made out of steel. In his four years at Liverpool, he’s missed just three games through injury.

KIRKBY, ENGLAND – APRIL 28:(THE SUN OIUT. THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on April 28, 2021 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
It will be amazing to see van Dijk return to the starting XI next season but Liverpool will be cautious with the way he is reintroduced, especially if he goes to the Euros with Holland.
It’s a pity that the new season is only set to start in August as it will then be almost a full year since we last saw him in action.
