Virgil van Dijk delivers fitness update on recent injury ahead of Liverpool clash with Everton

Liverpool have been dealt a tricky hand of injuries this season as they’ve pushed to give Jurgen Klopp the perfect send-off. A number of key players have been absent with both short-term and long-term issues, leaving the Reds heavily exposed in some areas.

The defence has inarguably been the biggest concern, as seven players from the back — including Alisson — have been forced onto the sidelines at some point or another. Joël Matip’s absence is the most notable, having suffered an ACL injury in December which prematurely ended his final season at Anfield.

Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been injured this season too, and Virgil van Dijk has also recently been playing through the pain barrier.

The captain required treatment early on during Liverpool’s Europa League clash with Atalanta and it has since been revealed that he suffered a dislocated finger, which was popped back into place so he could continue. Van Dijk played the Reds’ most recent clash with Fulham with his finger strapped up but he played down the problem after the win at Craven Cottage.

He said: “In the first minute against Atalanta it was pointing in the wrong direction. It’s dislocated, yeah, I did it once before against Norway with Holland. It’s only a finger!"

Indeed, the last time this happened to Van Dijk was back in 2021 in a clash between the Netherlands and Norway in a World Cup qualifier. The incident happened amid a fiery battle between the Dutch skipper and Erling Haaland, but the dislocated finger didn’t stop Van Dijk from carrying on.

“I actually snapped his finger on him,” Haaland said after the match. “I do not know how it happened. He just said ‘f***ing hell, you broke my finger’. He's good, so to speak. I have no idea how I snapped his finger. That's just the way it is.”

Given the fact van Dijk played the full 90 minutes against Fulham with his finger strapped up, the centre-back will be expected to do the same in tonight’s Merseyside derby.