Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool legend stole the show with late winner vs Everton as astonishing fitness streak continues
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Credit: Imago Thu 23 April 2026 14:35, UK Virgil van Dijk should be in the final stages of his professional career, yet he has played every single minute of Liverpool’s Premier League season.The centre-back stole the show as the Reds beat Everton 2-1 in the Merseyside derby last week, rising highest to head home the winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time. Despite Liverpool’s poor season, Van Dijk has looked as imperious as ever, featuring in 50 games already in this campaign.
With Mohamed Salah set to leave Anfield this summer, there has been talk that a changing of the guard could be set to take place.But with Van Dijk’s relentless fitness preventing Liverpool’s injury issues from causing total collapse, there is little chance Arne Slot will want to let the legend leave. 🏥 Liverpool Injury News 🏥 Access definitive fitness updates from the Axa Training Centre: real-time injury news, recovery timelines, and the latest return dates for the Liverpool first-team squad. VISIT THE INJURY HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Virgil van Dijk continues to be Liverpool’s generalFootball Insider exclusively revealed in January that Liverpool plan to allow Van Dijk to see out his contract, which will run until the summer of 2027.
When the going got tough, Van Dijk responded and stepped up to head home in the final seconds and earn Liverpool victory in the first Merseyside derby played at Hill Dickinson Stadium.As he has done for over eight years now, the Liverpool captain dug out his side and was the man they turned to.The fitness secret that keeps Van Dijk at the top of his gameVan Dijk’s secret comes in the form of a wearable technology that he swears by, and it is called WHOOP.A device worn on the wrist, WHOOP monitors sleep, stress, strain, recovery, and so much more, allowing it to give the user recommendations to optimise their recovery. Van Dijk has been a partner for several years, and credited the technology with the speed and quality of his recovery from his ACL injury in 2020.There is little surprise that WHOOP has had such a profound effect on the defender’s career, considering another of its partners.