Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admits he is already dreading the goodbye speeches he will have to make when manager Jurgen Klopp departs the club at the end of the season.
Speaking to ITV News, Van Dijk says parting with the manager who has spent nine years at the club will be difficult.
"Very difficult. I’m a very emotional person and I don't like to say goodbyes. Being the captain now, it's gonna be horrible in the sense you probably have to speak a little bit. And like I say that day I'll be dreading.
"It's pretty clear that he’s been a monumental figure for the club for so many years, the successes that we had, the impact he had on the community, the clubs around the world. If you think about Liverpool you think about Jurgen Klopp.
"I'm very, very grateful for everything he's done for me, but especially for the football club, you know, he's brought the club back to where it belongs. And he leaves the club, I think it's also in a very good place still to have successful the future - yeah, he deserves all the applause that he will get and still get."
The Dutch defender know the goodbye ceremonies will be much easier to handle if there is more silverware at hand to go with the Carabao Cup already banked.
"It makes it a lot easier if we have success. So that's the aim at the moment. But it's difficult and it's not only the boss who is leaving, it's going to be a lot of changes and more staff leaving, but it will be a tough day, but until the day that we’ll fight and be positive and put all our focus into that to be positive, and put all of our focus and effort in that and make the season successful.
"We know at the end of the season it will be emotional. But we can make it emotional and a good way by winning
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