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Jurgen Klopp embraces Virgil van Dijk after his last match in charge of Liverpool(Image: Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolves via Getty Images)

Virgil van Dijk has opened up how Jurgen Klopp told the Liverpool squad of his intention to step down as manager last year.

Klopp's decision to step away after nine, largely decorated years at Anfield was made public in late January 2024, having informed the club's owners Fenway Sports Group in November 2023.

Van Dijk says the players learned of Klopp's decision two days before it became common knowledge on Friday, January 26 of last year, and admitted it was a surreal experience for the entire squad to live through.



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"We only found out Jurgen was leaving a couple days before everyone else,” Van Dijk reveals.

The day he told us, we were all being called into the dressing room and it was f****** weird.

"We never do that.

From the first time we sat down, he was adamant: he told me I was going to change his life.

He said he wanted me and nobody else.

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“Klopp embodied what Liverpool stands for.

But Arne is more specific.

"He has a clear idea of the way he wants his teams to play, which is different to how we were under Jurgen, which was already obviously super successful…It was a challenge [to adapt to], but it has been a good challenge."

The Liverpool captain was confirmed as a Premier League winner on Sunday when the Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at Anfield to go 15 points clear of Arsenal with just four games left to play.

It's nearly five years since Van Dijk suffered a season-ending ACL injury in a 2-2 draw with Everton after a poor challenge from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

However, the Netherlands captain explained why he now views the recovery process from that October 2020 career-threatening setback as one of the most memorable periods of his life.

Opening up on the recovery process, Van Dijk added: “It was one of the best times of my life.
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