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View image in fullscreen‘I like to do normal things’: Virgil van Dijk maintains sense of perspective

Liverpool captain watched his daughter star in the school play before taking centre stage in the Carabao Cup final

Virgil van Dijk’s attention was not on football on Thursday night or checking on the state of contract negotiations.

It was the perfect antidote to going out of the Champions League on Tuesday to Paris Saint-Germain and waiting for Sunday’sCarabao Cup final against Newcastle.

“I’m also a normal father, husband, man, and I like to do normal things,” Van Dijk says.

A year ago, they saw him score a disallowed goal before he headed a 118th-minute winner against Chelsea, allowing Van Dijk to lift his first trophy as Liverpool’s captain.

Possessing perspective, something often lost in football, helped make Van Dijk Jürgen Klopp’s first choice to replace Jordan Henderson as captain in 2023.

Liverpool’s manager turns to his compatriot for advice when required.

Van Dijk says: “I love the fans, the fans love me, and I’ll keep working.

We’ll see what happens in the future.”

Slot has used 27 players in the Carabao Cup and Van Dijk is at the centre of the squad, listening to concerns and offering encouragement when needed.

I don’t need extra motivation to win things, but it’s helpful.”

Van Dijk will almost certainly lift the Premier League come the end of the season, with Liverpool’s 15-point lead looking insurmountable, but hopes first to secure his ninth trophy with the club on Sunday.
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