Had no idea Virgil van Dijk would be 'so special', says Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool defeated Newcastle 3-1 here on Sunday and finished the ongoing 2019-2020 Premier League season with a club-record 99 points.

Newcastle [UK]: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Virgil van Dijk's mindset and said he had no idea that the defender would be 'so special'.

Virgil van Dijk's EPL stats

"I am not sure if he needs another hour of praise or stuff like that. He is good, really good! He is a good centre-half. He is special. The combination of skills is absolutely special. His mindset on top of that is then really special, so this mix makes him a pretty good centre-half and a good guy as well, which I like a lot," the club's official website quoted Klopp as saying.

"I would work together with him as well if he was a bit more difficult to deal with, but he is really low maintenance in that case. He is just really nice to have. We knew when we signed him we would get a really good player but the package is so special, we had no idea about that and that makes it really, really exciting," he added.

Liverpool defeated Newcastle 3-1 here on Sunday and finished the ongoing 2019-2020 Premier League season with a club-record 99 points. The Klopp-led team had already sealed the Premier League title on June 26 and lifted the trophy on July 23 after they played their final home match of the recently concluded season.

Liverpool ended the 2019-2020 Premier League season with a massive 18-point lead over the second-placed Manchester City. The champions won 32 of their 38 matches in the league while witnessing three draws and as many defeats.

Meanwhile, Manchester United and Chelsea also sealed their spots in the UEFA Champions League next season after both earned victories that kept them in the top four on the final day of the 2019/20 English Premier League campaign.

EPL 2019-20 Points table

In a direct battle for a UEFA Champions League spot at King Power Stadium on Sunday, Bruno Fernandes's penalty and Jesse Lingard's stoppage-time strike were enough for United to secure a 2-0 victory over Leicester City, meaning the Red Devils finish above Chelsea in third on goal difference.

Leicester finished fifth after their defeat and will compete in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League.

On the other hand, first-half goals by Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud gave Chelsea the win they needed as they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Wolves' loss meant they missed out on sixth position and a guaranteed place in the Europa League after Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace to edge ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo's side on goal difference.