Jurgen Klopp has launched an impassioned defence of Virgil van Dijk and insisted he has no concerns about his star defender's form.
The Holland international returned from a six-week absence due to a damaged hamstring, to start against Newcastle last Saturday. Klopp wanted to get minutes into him at St James's Park, so he was prepared for the Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.
But that 5-2 defeat ended up with Van Dijk being one of many players in the spotlight. He is 31 now and critics feel he will never recapture the form he showed in his first two years at Anfield, when he helped Liverpool win the Champions League and Premier League.