Arne Slot says he would love Virgil van Dijk to stick around and continue playing for Liverpool next season after the captain admitted this week he had ‘no idea’ what the future holds.
The Dutch defender was pushed on his Liverpool deal, which expires at the end of this season, and insisted his short-term future was still not clear.
And when pushed on this today, manager Slot said: ‘I don’t know what is happening next season as well… in terms of results. But that’s not what you mean…
‘The only thing I know is that I want Virgil to be here next season. All the rest, these talks about contracts, that is not what I do here.’
Slot added that the uncertainty does not impact planning for next season.
Liverpool travel to London on Saturday ahead of their Carabao Cup final date with Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday – and Slot will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold. Mail Sport reported earlier this week how the right back is hoping to play again this season.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted this week he had ‘no idea’ what the future holds
Arne Slot has stressed he would ‘love’ to have Van Dijk around at the club next season
The manager said that Jarell Quansah is more than capable of deputising for the vice-captain with Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez both suffering from hamstring injuries.
Quansah has had a difficult season after a breakthrough campaign last year but Slot praised his attitude and effort.
‘It says a lot about his mentality,’ said the manager. ‘So last season everybody saw what a talent he is.
‘And then this season started with him starting and I changed him against Ipswich. Then Ibou (Konate) and Virgil were and are such a strong combination that he didn’t play a lot. But every time he had to play, everyone could see that maybe he is no longer a talent.
‘Because as a talent you don’t have any setbacks. When you get setbacks it is about how you react and he has shown in his recent performances that he has outgrown being called a talent and that is probably what Thomas Tuchel saw in giving him a call up to England.
‘He did really well the last few times he had to play for us, even in a position he is not completely used to at right full-back but, in my opinion, he also has the qualities to play in that position.
‘He is strong, fast, very comfortable with the ball and it gives us an extra quality if we play him, which we saw, in terms of set-pieces because he was the one who was this far (measures inches with his fingers) of us qualifying for the next round by heading the ball against the post.
Slot has backed Jarell Quansah to deputise at right back for Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final
‘If being substituted at half-time is a setback then almost every player has more than a few setbacks during his career. It was more that people were a bit like “Oooh” about what I said after the game in that they were not used to a manager or me being so clear about what I saw.
‘In the end that probably went to a situation where he got criticised more than was normal for a player who was taken off at half-time. It is so good to see he managed his way back into it. Mentality-wise it might have been a big moment for him, that Ipswich game.
‘Now he has experienced that people were not only positive about him like last season – although he made one or two mistakes then as well – he also knows now he can fight his way back if people are, all of a sudden, not positive any more.’
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