Virgil van Dijk has insisted that his words were taken out of context following comments which seemed to raise doubts over his long-term future at Liverpool. The Dutchman, who has just 18 months remaining on his current deal, suggested over the weekend that he was unsure about his Anfield future after Jurgen Klopp announced that he will be stepping down in the summer.
Van Dijk refused to provide any assurances over whether he sees himself as part of the new era at Liverpool, saying: “The club will have a big job on their hands, that is well known. To replace the manager and replace not only the manager, the staff is leaving, and there are so many things that will change, so the club has a big job on its hands.
“I am very curious which direction that will go in, but when that will be announced we will see our situation. I can’t say now.”
Van Dijk’s comments fuelled speculation that he could follow Klopp out of Liverpool in the near future, but he has since clarified that he remains fully committed to the Reds and has no plans to leave the club any time soon.
“It’s been taken out of context,” Van Dijk told Men In Blazers. “To be 100 per cent clear, I am fully committed to the club. I love the club. I love the fans. [That comment] has fully been taken out of context. It’s not about me. It’s not about ‘I’, it’s about ‘us’. Nothing has changed.
“Five days ago we weren’t even speaking about my contract so it’s a bit silly. My full focus is on making sure this year is a very special year. It was obviously a big announcement the last couple of days, it’s been a big shock to each one of us connected to the club.
“I have been feeling exactly what the fans have been feeling in that exact moment [finding out the news], but we mean business here. We want to crack on, we want to achieve the things that we dreamed of at the start of the season. We are in a good position so let’s give it our all.
“But, like I said, don’t get it twisted. I am fully committed to the club and I love it. I love each and every day at Liverpool.”
It comes after Klopp himself urged Liverpool fans to ‘stay calm’ over Van Dijk’s future and hit out at the line of media questioning which prompted the defender’s comments. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s game against Chelsea, Klopp said: “Virgil didn’t go out and say: ‘By the way, what I want to say’. It’s always about the questions.
“We always need to answer these kind of things. Write what you want, this club is stable 100 per cent and everything will be fine, I’m 100 per cent sure and the rest we have to get through this, we have to get through your questions, we have to give answers and that’s how it is. I would recommend to stay calm in this department, massively.”
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