Virgil Van Dijk: Two more years of domination from Liverpool's stat-busting colossus | OneFootball

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Liverpool fans can celebrate after this morning's announcement that their captain and defensive cornerstone Virgil Van Dijk is also staying, agreeing a contract extension up to the summer of 2027 and very possibly retirement.

After a year of uncertainty, Van Dijk's new deal follows Mo Salah's decision to remain at Anfield for a further two seasons, which came just last week.Unlike Salah's situation, the Dutchman's new deal always felt extremely likely, if not inevitable, the player clearly having no great desire to leave L4.

Besides a wishy-washy PSG rumour, at no stage was the 33-year-old strongly linked with anyone else. And at no stage were the negotiations reported as a 'dispute'.

Indeed, the lack of jeopardy was corroborated this morning by the player's words that were as emphatic as one of his headed clearances.

"It was always Liverpool," he said. "That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool."

Now that all speculation can be put to bed regarding Liverpool's two most important players, the club can concentrate on finishing the job and securing a second Premier League title. From there, their future looks all the brighter after retaining Europe's deadliest hit-man and a defender who makes their high-line work and is a colossus to boot.

Virgil the stat-buster

When assessing the Dutchman's sustained brilliance at the heart of Liverpool's back-line stats are almost an irrelevance.

You won't find Van Dijk in the top 20 when it comes to tackles made. Similarly he is nowhere to be seen when the league leaders for clearances, interceptions or blocks are trawled through.

That's because so much of his game relies on traits that make him almost unique as a top-flight defender.

First off, the player, who is 40/1 to win the next Ballon d'Or, has a sense of positioning that is unparalleled. He anticipates danger like no other, proactively preventing it at source rather than reacting with a challenge.

There is also his stature to consider, a heightened reputation that frankly makes opposition forwards steer well clear, seeking out space elsewhere in less threatening areas.

There are no statistics for positioning and stature but the figures that are available confirm what we know from our own eyes: Van Dijk has once again this term been a model of consistency and furthermore immensely hard to beat.

His presence in defence has ensured that Liverpool have conceded only 0.9 goals per 90 in the league, a crucial element to their all-but-achieved title aim.

As for his leadership qualities, and the high standard he sets on the pitch for others to aspire to, they are nothing short of priceless.

Keeping their captain in their ranks increases Liverpool's chances of winning yet more silverware next season, and the year beyond. It really is as simple as that.

This coming weekend, the 33-year-old faces down a Leicester attack that has scored just twice in 13-and-a-half hours of football. Backing the Reds to win to nil at 11/10 surely tempts.