Van Dijk is 'dreading' Klopp's exit as players are planning 'emotional' send-off

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted he is 'dreading' the departure of long-serving boss Jurgen Klopp this summer - and revealed how players are hoping to give him an 'emotional' send-off.

The German shocked the footballing world with the surprise news that he would end his nine-year spell at Anfield at the end of the 2023-24 season, after claiming he needed a break from the game.

Klopp is aiming to finish his reign with a possible treble - having already won the Carabao Cup in February. His side are top of the Premier League with nine games remaining, while they are still in the hunt for the Europa League.

Van Dijk has been one of Klopp's key players since signing him from Southampton for around £75million in 2018, with the pair winning eight trophies together, and he said the day his boss departed would be 'tough' to take.

'Very difficult,' he told ITV News. '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 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. Until the day that we’ll fight and be positive and put all of our focus and effort in that and make the season successful.'

Van Dijk explained how the Liverpool players plan to make his exit 'emotional' by winning as many trophies as possible and said his impending departure only motivated them more to achieve that.

'I think we already so much motivated to make this season a success,' he added.

'We know at the end of the season will be