Virgil van Dijk is braced for an emotional farewell for Jurgen Klopp – and admitted he is ‘dreading’ the departure of his coach.

Liverpool boss Klopp announced in January that he was bringing an end to his Anfield tenure at the close of the 2023/24 season. The 56-year-old German joined the club in 2015 and has brought success in the Champions League and Premier League during his stint at the club.

Van Dijk has featured 259 times under Klopp and was influential in landing those trophies. The Dutch defender believes that having success at the end of the season will make saying farewell to Klopp easier to stomach.

The Netherlands star, however, is not looking forward to saying goodbye or his responsibility to speak to his teammates on Klopp’s final day. He plans to be positive until that moment.

Speaking to ITV News, Van Dijk said: Very difficult. I’m a very emotional person and I don’t like to say goodbyes. Being the captain now, it’s gonna be horrible in the sense you probably have to speak a little bit. And like I say that day I’ll be dreading.

“It makes it a lot easier if we have success. So that’s the aim at the moment. But it’s difficult and it’s not only the boss who is leaving, it’s going to be a lot of changes and more staff leaving, but it will be a tough day, but until the day that we’ll fight and be positive and put all our focus into that to be positive, and put all of our focus and effort in that and make the season successful.”

The Reds have already landed the Carabao Cup this term and remain in contention for a league title, as well as a possible Europa League win. Despite the added incentive of trying to win the competitions for Klopp, Van Dijk suggested that Liverpool’s under-performance last season had a greater weight in the side’s motivation.

“I think we are already so motivated to make this season a success.,” he said. “Based on what we achieved, what we did last year. I think when we came back in preseason there was a feeling of you know, making things right. Personally for me as well. And obviously by then the news about the boss leaving wasn’t even there.

“But we know at the end of the season it will be emotional. But we can make it emotional and a good way by winning trophies. That’s the we want to do it for ourselves. We want to do it for the boss. We want to do for the football club around the world. The fans around the world I mean yeah, we all we all work so hard each and every day. Eventually, to win silverware, that’s what we’re gonna try and do. Like I said, there’s no guarantees. There is a guarantee at the moment that the manager will leave and there will be an emotional end of the season but let’s hope there will be silverware”

The emotional magnitude of Klopp’s departure has been present from the moment of his announcement. Trent Alexander-Arnold said the news came as a ‘complete surprise’ to the squad and that the German coach had asked his side to remain professional. That remains the team’s ambition.

Alexander-Arnold said: “Just a complete surprise to all of us as players, it was one that we didn’t see coming, you never do, especially when things are going so well.

“We were flying, up and around the top of the league, we’re fighting on all four fronts at that point for every trophy we could so you’re expecting the good times to keep coming and coming and coming.

“So when he tells us the news and his decision we have got to respect it obviously but it’s one of them no player wants to hear and it was one that kind of shook the dressing room for a couple of hours.

“But he told us, ‘Look we’re professionals, don’t let it get to us’. There will be a lot of noise around, of course, but we have got to go and do our job, try and win games and give him the best possible finish.”