Virgil van Dijk scored a crucial goal in Liverpool’s quest to win the Premier League title by heading in an 89th-minute winner in their 2-1 win against West Ham United.
Just a few minutes prior, the Liverpool captain was screamed at by Andy Robertson for potentially confusing as he went to clear away the danger before moving his leg out of the way, with the ball going on to strike the latter’s leg and into the back of the net for an unfortunate own goal.
But Virgil van Dijk redeemed himself in style with a timely headed goal as he reminded the Anfield faithful why his value to the side remains priceless.
But perhaps most importantly from a Liverpool standpoint alongside their important victory against West Ham, Gary Lineker feels the former Southampton defender may be set to follow in Mohamed Salah’s footsteps.
Gary Lineker says Virgil van Dijk’s post-match interview hints he’s signing new Liverpool contract
Gary Lineker referenced Van Dijk’s interview with Sky Sports after Liverpool defeated West Ham where the 33-year-old’s update on his contract situation was simply to wait and see what happens in the next week.
Gary Lineker suspected that Van Dijk was set to sign a new contract at Liverpool as he said: “Everyone knows how much I love this club, let’s see what next week [regarding my contract situation at Liverpool] will look like.”
Lineker claimed on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I suspect, given the way Virgil van Dijk spoke after the game, he said, ‘Let’s see what happens over the next week’, I think he might be following suit, which will be a real plus for the football club going ahead, won’t it?”
Alan Shearer replied: “Yeah, they’ve been two standouts for Liverpool so to get both of them secured in a week or two is great news for him and I guess for all the fans for the captain and their main goalscorer, obviously with the recruitments that they’ll get in, in the summer, they’ll be a bigger and a better force trying to go next season, to try and win it again but then also to progress in Europe and those two will really help them.”
Gary Lineker added: “I’ve heard a lot of pundits be really critical of Liverpool, saying, ‘Why did they leave it so long before they renewed the contracts?’ and I’m thinking, hang on a minute! It’s not just about the football club, it comes from the players.”
“Now, if I was in charge of a player now, I’d say, ‘see it right near the end and then it gives you a much better negotiating position.’ So, if a player’s going, ‘Well, I’m not going to sign, I might want to leave at the end of the season’, it’s a two-way thing.”
What Mohamed Salah said about Virgil van Dijk’s contract situation
Perhaps another hint that Gary Lineker may also be taking into consideration is Mohamed Salah hoping Van Dijk extends his contract during his post-match interview, which suggests a deal could be imminent.
“I am glad we managed to do that [contract] before the end of the season. Hopefully, Virgil will be next. He can do whatever he wants but I would love to play with him next season.”
