Liverpool center-back, Virgil van Dijk has started kicking balls and running again according to footage shared on social media during the weekend.
Recall that the defender is one of the numerous superstars at Liverpool that have been out of football with numerous degrees of injuries this season. The 29-year-old Netherlands defender sustained a knee ligament in Liverpool’s league match against their Merseyside rivals, Everton, on 17 October 2020.
In the match which ended 2-2, the goalkeeper of Everton and England international clashed with Virgil van Dijk in Everton’s eighteen-yard box. Despite how bad the challenge looked, the goalkeeper went unpunished and Liverpool were not awarded a spot-kick.
After the challenge, Virgil van Dijk was substituted and it was later confirmed that the Netherlands international was taken to London to undergo surgery to treat his injured knee.
After he successfully underwent the surgery, he went out of public view until December 2020 when pictures and videos of his rehabilitation process at a gym surfaced on social media.
Weeks after that, it was reported that the Netherlands international had traveled to Dubai to continue his rehabilitation process which seems to be yielding results based on the visuals that were released recently.
In the video he posted on his Twitter page this weekend, Virgil van Dijk was seen engaging in a short distance run on a training pitch.
🏃🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/RjiiAGzM6B
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) March 6, 2021
In another video that also surfaced on social media this weekend, the Dutch defender could be seen juggling a ball with his legs on a training pitch.
Small steps for Virgil van Dijk but he is clearly edging closer to a return. This is a sight to lift the hearts of all Liverpool fans #LFC pic.twitter.com/UHQhjyNbsu
— Kevin Palmer 💙 (@RealKevinPalmer) March 6, 2021
Since these visuals surfaced on social media, the fans of Liverpool have been so excited that their club’s best defender was making progress in his recovery process.
Like his other colleagues that have been out with different degrees of injuries, Van Dijk has been heavily missed at the club. In his absence, Liverpool have lost 5 successive defeats in the last two months.
At the point the Dutch defender sustained his injury, Liverpool were still Premier League contenders but they are now fighting for a top-four spot. The reigning Premier League champions are now sitting on the 7th spot on the league table with 43 points in 27 games.
The club’s coach, Jurgen Klopp, had said the target of the club was to finish in the top four but the club is now 4 points away from 4th placed Chelsea.
Before they lost their talisman, Virgil van Dijk, the defender has played 5 times in the Premier League and has scored a goal. He has played a total of 8 games in all competitions this season.
