With Jordan Henderson gone, who will be Jurgen Klopp’s new Liverpool captain?
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Virgil Van Djik will captain Liverpool against Leicester City on July 30, 2023.
ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
SINGAPORE – For the first time in eight years, Liverpool are on the search for a new captain and, while fans and the players wait for an announcement, manager Jurgen Klopp said on Saturday that he already knows who his new skipper will be.
In the pre-match press conference at the National Stadium, Klopp confirmed that Virgil van Dijk will captain the team against Leicester City on Sunday.
But the German was not ready to reveal if his Dutch centre-back would take on the role full time.
Liverpool are in town for their pre-season tour
Klopp, whose team trained at the National Stadium on Saturday in front of a crowd of 15,000 boisterous local Reds supporters, said: “I know already my decision. The only thing is I have to tell the players first before I speak in public about it.
“I didn’t expect to have to make the decision a few weeks ago. To be honest, I had to think about it. It all happened pretty quickly.
“But in general, the games so far, I didn’t think before about that, ‘who should I give it’, ‘who will I give it at half-time’.
“We have easy rules there. Virgil was No. 3 last year, so that’s why he wears it when he starts, and in the second half it’s always who is longest at the club, and I think it was, most of the time, Joe Gomez. It will be an important decision.”
Jordan Henderson, who led the club to their first Premier League title for 30 years in 2020 and the Champions League in 2019, was captain since 2015 but his departure to Saudi club Al-Ettifaq
Since he arrived at Anfield, Klopp has set up an exclusive captain’s body. It initially included Henderson and Milner, before van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and goalkeeper Alisson were voted into the group by the squad.
This time, Klopp said, he has not left it up to a democratic process but has made the decision himself, but added: “Nobody has to be the next James Milner or Jordon Henderson. They can just be themselves.”
He later elaborated: “Even more important is the general leadership group we can create. We need that, definitely. This is a big change for us, big characters left the club. But things have to change at one point, it was always clear.”
On Saturday evening in Kallang, there were hints of who the leading candidate may be. Van Dijk, seated next to Klopp earlier to face the media, then led the players out for the hour-long open training session to roars from the thousands in the stands. The loudest cheers, however, were reserved when Klopp emerged from the tunnel and waved to the fans.
After some small-sided matches and set-piece work, they went on a lap around the stadium to salute the crowd, throwing a few signed caps into the stands.
Several players, including Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, also signed a few kits that some creative fans had hung using a string.
The 1.95m van Dijk, who was imperious in defence for several seasons after joining Liverpool in 2018, struggled at times last term but is not shying away from taking on extra responsibility.
He said: “On the captaincy, nothing has been announced yet so I can’t say much about it. I have captained the team multiple times and it’s always a proud moment. We will see what the future brings but it would be a huge honour.
“He (Henderson) is going to be a big miss for us, as a player and captain. Others need to step up now, that’s the reality.”
A title challenge is also a priority, as their main rivals have brought in reinforcements.
Reds fullback Robertson told The Sunday Times: “We have to focus on what we have within our squad, how our new signings are bedding in. When the league starts, we can then focus on who we have to play.
“We have to improve things we weren’t so good at last season. We have to keep the things we were good at.”
