Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk has said that Scottish left-back Kieran Tierney has the ability to shine in the Premier League, as he moved to the Emirates in the summer. The young talented defender is injured at present and is slowly recovering. The Celtic star had been heavily linked with a move to England in the recent years, with the Gunners being the top name to enter the race to land the young defensive ace.
The former Celtic centre back Van Dijk has spoken highly of the immensely talented Scotsman in a recent interview. He said, “It is not an easy step to make and you have to play well to do it but he has the qualities. Kieran made his debut against Dundee when I was at Celtic. I scored a free-kick up there and then he came on and helped us get the win. You could tell he was a good player who would do well.”
Tierney has been one of the best young left-backs in the recent times, just like his compatriot Andy Robertson, who played a very important role in Liverpool’s triumph in the Champions League last term. He had been regularly linked with clubs like Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and now Arsenal. The Scottish left-back has the abilities to run down the left flank as well as defend well and now his former colleague Van Dijk has spoken in support of Tierney coming to the Premier League.
Van Dijk had also spoken about his discussion on the touchline with manager Jurgen Klopp during Liverpool’s defeat against Napoli in the pre-season encounter. The two were seen discussing something very intensely after the first of the three goals was scored by Napoli.
When asked what were they talking about, the Dutch skipper said, “Just things… between me and him. It is not necessary to reveal what. I think everyone has to communicate with each other. Sometimes you have to tell someone the truth, that’s how it is.”
It was a forgettable pre-season for the Reds as they went onto visit the USA. They lost all of their matches as the reigning European champions looked no match for any of their opponents. Jurgen Klopp rested a number of his players, including the key men like Sadio Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino. While the first two needed rest after the African Nations Cup, the case was same for the third one, who lifted the Copa America trophy with Brazil.
The Reds start their campaign with the first competitive match of the season in the form of the Community Shield, where they lost to defending Premier League, as well as the FA Cup winners Manchester City. Jurgen Klopp will hope that they can continue their journey now in the 2019/20 season positively and continue on a winning note, after their 3 consecutive wins.
They just beat north London giants Arsenal 3-1 and will want to continue to build on that momentum in the days to come. Things will get quite interesting for the Merseyside outfit, with the fixtures that they have coming up soon.
