Many believed that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford should have been sent off yesterday for his ultra-aggressive challenge (pictured above) on Liverpool central defender Virgil van Dijk. The move was certainly a bit Cobra Kai “sweep the leg” to say the least.
Now VVD is out with an injured anterior cruciate ligament injury prognosis, and it’s possible he may not play again this season. This news is obviously very bad for Liverpool and their fans, as the Dutchman is out for several months at a minimum.
The £75 million signing from Southampton in January 2018, then the world’s most expensive defender, was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season in his first full term in the English top flight.
His loss is a major blow for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and this essentially blows the league title race wide open. As of now, it’s difficult to put a timetable on Van Dijk’s recovery and return period, because according to ESPN, it’s
“impossible to gauge until the player has undergone surgery, but sources are reluctant to rule out a return to action this season. The club has yet to set a date for Van Dijk’s surgery because of the necessity for the swelling around the knee joint to subside sufficiently for the player to be operated on.”
Once the devastating news was made public, Van Dijk penned an open letter to supporters writing:
“This afternoon I met with a leading consultant to start the process of planning the finer details of my rehabilitation following the incident yesterday.
“I’m now fully focussed on my recovery and will do everything I can to be back as quickly as possible. Despite the obvious disappointment, I’m a firm believer that within difficulty lies opportunity and with God’s help I’m going to make sure I can return better, fitter and stronger than ever before.
“In football, as in life, I believe everything happens for a reason and it’s important to try and keep level headed whether going through the highs or the lows. With the support of my wife, kids, family and everyone at Liverpool, I’m ready for the challenge ahead.
“I’d like to thank everyone for the messages of support, it’s meant a huge amount to me and my family, and I’ll now be doing everything possible to support my teammates in any way I can ahead of a big few weeks ahead as I take my own recovery day by day. I’ll be back.”
After the 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby, Liverpool currently sit 3rd in the table. Their next game is Wednesday night against Ajax in the Champions League group stages.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.