When you look at Liverpool’s season as a whole then of course, for obvious reasons, there will be some disappointment about how things have turned out.

But there are also more positives than you might think because they have won a trophy, the Carabao Cup and got back into the Champions League spots, which was not a given after their previous campaign.

And there is more to come from this team.

Whether you were the new manager or a fan watching Sunday’s game, it gave you plenty to look forward to with the performance of players such as Jarell Quansah, Cody Gakpo or Harvey Elliott, and also seeing Stefan Bajcetic come on after his long injury lay-off looking so comfortable on the ball.

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Any manager coming in would be really excited at the prospect of working with young talent like that, but the balance of what you need around them on the pitch is epitomised by what Van Dijk brings to the team.

He is a cool and calm leader, who is also extremely durable – the only long lay-off he has had since he joined Liverpool in January 2018 was the cruciate ligament injury he sustained in a tackle by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, an incident which was in no way Van Dijk’s fault.

In Van Dijk’s time at Anfield, so many players have benefitted from his presence and that effect will continue as long as he stays there.

That’s what makes him even more important than Salah, and a new contract is crucial.

Once that’s done, it gives you wonderful foundations for other players because you know he will guide and improve those coming in.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.


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