Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says Jurgen Klopp's decision to step down as manager at the end of the season was "a hard one to take" – but has urged his Reds teammates to make sure their boss goes out with a bang.
Klopp announced on Friday that he would be moving on this summer after almost nine years in charge at Anfield, despite having a contract until 2026.
The revelation came as quite a shock – to the football world and the Liverpool players themselves.
In an interview with the Reds' official website, Van Dijk discussed Klopp's impending departure. The Dutchman said: "It's a hard one to take because the manager means so much for us, to me; to the club; to the whole Premier League, I think. But he made the decision for him and his family. It was always going to be a tough one and it was definitely the case."
Van Dijk went on to explain how the German broke the news to his squad, before calling on the team to have a strong rest of the 2023/24 campaign. He continued: "Yeah, he told us in private of course, and all of us were together. Like I said, it's a hard one to take, but our mindset is to focus on business. We have a lot of targets still achieve this year, and why not finish the season on a high and together with celebrations for the boss as well?"
As the Premier League takes a backseat for the FA Cup fourth round, Liverpool sit five points clear of reigning champions Manchester City at the top of the pile – albeit having played a game more than Pep Guardiola's side.
Under Klopp, the Reds have won six trophies, including the 2019/20 Premier LEague title and the 2018/19 Champions League.
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