Liverpool: Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has admitted that the loss of Virgil van Dijk is a big blow for the Reds.
The Reds' No.4 requires surgery on the knee injury he sustained during last Saturday's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and has stated in a post on social media that he is now focused fully on returning to fitness as soon as possible.
"Yeah, it's a tough one. It's a big blow for us. For him personally, obviously. But for us as a team, a massive blow," Henderson said.
"I'm just gutted for him. So, it's been a tough couple of days, I spoke to him yesterday. And yeah, it's a difficult moment, but that's when you need to be there for each other. I'll be there as much as I possibly can for him, I'm sure the lads will do the same and his family certainly will, to help him through the journey he'll go on," he added.
Meanwhile, manager Jurgen Klopp has said they will do everything possible to support van Dijk throughout his rehabilitation period. Klopp has been in touch with van Dijk and reported that the Dutchman is feeling 'OK'.
"It's always the same, players love to be rather on their own in the moment and to deal in the first moment with it. I am long enough in the business to know that. I was injured myself, I had exactly the same injury if I'm right and it's not then that you are then pretty chatty," Klopp said.
"It all will start but we are in contact, of course, we are in contact. We are there for him, he knows that and we will wait for him like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail and will do, meanwhile, all what we can do to make it as easy for him as possible," he added.