'Van Dijk is in the running for the best player in the world', says Henderson

Jordan Henderson believes Virgil van Dijk is a contender for the title of the world’s best player and praised his Liverpool teammate’s reaction to his serious injury.

Van Dijk has been billed as the world’s best defender frequently following his club-record €84.65m transfer from Southampton in January 2018.

The Dutchman’s arrival coincided with a new glorious turn of fortunes for Liverpool, which has seen them win the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

So Van Dijk’s potentially season-ending injury in last weekend’s draw at Everton has, naturally, left the Reds vulnerable. Many people, in fact, have already written them off in the title race for this season.

But while accepting the loss of someone he regards as the possible ‘best player in the world’ is unfortunate, Henderson revealed Van Dijk remains a positive presence in Melwood.

“He’s the best defender in the world. Of course, he is,” The Reds skipper wrote in his matchday program.

“I think I’d go further and say he’s in the running for the best player in the world, regardless of position.

“But it’s his presence and personality that will leave a hole on matchdays and in the training sessions. As important as the fans think he is, to us as teammates it’s even more so.

“It was typical of Virgil that after digesting the news, one of the first messages he sent to us – all of us – was upbeat and inspirational.

“The exact content will of course remain private, but there wasn’t one word in there feeling sorry for himself. It was all about looking ahead and making sure he comes back better and stronger.

“Likewise, when he came to Melwood on Tuesday he just radiated positivity. That’s the big man. And it’s on us to take his lead and only think about the positive impact we can all have from this moment on.”