“Liverpool will be a different animal with him” - Paul Merson believes one player can transform Reds' season

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson believes the return of Virgil van Dijk could transform Liverpool into a different animal next season after going trophyless last time around.

Writing in the Daily Star (via the Liverpool Echo), Paul Merson has said that Liverpool will need to compliment Van Dijk's return with a few new signings to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United. Merson said:

“Liverpool will be a different animal with Virgil Van Dijk back. He gets them pushed up and playing on the halfway line. Last season was a wake-up call for them and they will be massive contenders this time around. I think they will sign players too, and the front three will be fresher. They will have a point to prove.”

Virgil van Dijk suffered an ACL injury during the Merseyside Derby back in October 2020, which saw the Dutchman miss the entirety of last season as well as the Euros with the Netherlands.

However, Van Dijk is on the cusp of making a full recovery and is currently training with the rest of the Liverpool squad on their pre-season tour to Austria. Paul Merson believes the return of Van Dijk could not have come any sooner.

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The Sky Sports pundit has outlines why he believes supporters will see a ' different' Liverpool this season 👀 #LFC https://t.co/7QmeasV4E5

— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) July 26, 2021

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Virgil Van Dijk could return to playing action for Liverpool in the coming days

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the 30-year-old defender could feature for the Reds in their pre-season game against Hertha Berlin. Speaking on Liverpool's official website, Klopp said:

“I hope, I am not sure, that there is the opportunity that Virgil could play a few minutes. He looks really good in training and maybe we can bring [him in], but I need to have some final conversations. He looks ready and we will see. If you see the games now as part of their rehab training, that makes sense."

However, Klopp has also said that Liverpool are in no rush to play Van Dijk:

“I think from time to time there are some pictures of them from training sessions and everyone can see how good it looks, but there is no rush for us. It is not about they now need five pre-season games to be ready for the start or whatever."

According to Paul Merson, Virgil van Dijk's long-term injury was a wake-up call for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. The Reds finished the previous season 17 points behind champions Manchester City.

𝗕𝗜𝗚 news from the boss on @VirgilvDijk 🙌

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 26, 2021

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