Van Dijk admits he was surprised Klopp didn't cry at his Liverpool farewell

Virgil van Dijk says he was surprised Jurgen Klopp managed to avoid crying after his final Liverpool game — and the captain insists there is no way he would be able to ‘stay dry’ when he eventually bids farewell to Anfield.

The Reds captain said he was very emotional after the game as Klopp is a manager who made him a ‘better player and better human’. Van Dijk’s Liverpool deal runs out next summer and, though he admitted no new contract is on the table, he loves the club and is in no rush to leave.

‘You can't always see it all the time but I'm very emotional,’ said Van Dijk, 32. ‘It's been an interesting week, much more for the manager himself but personally going through everything with him and the staff, the guys who are leaving, Joel (Matip) and Thiago.

‘It was always going to be a very difficult day. (Klopp’s impact) is pretty obvious, it is massive and something I will forever be grateful for. He made me a better player, a better human being, a better captain. It's tough.’

Pushed on his contract saga, Van Dijk added: ‘My future is not important at the moment. The only thing I can say now is if I have a farewell I don't think I would keep it dry (and not cry) because that was something I was very surprised with with him (Klopp).

‘These fans are something else and eventually when they say goodbye to you then it will be special. Even with Joel, I said, “How did you manage to keep it dry, pal?”. He just wanted to walk through it quickly and stand with us so I think he did that pretty well.

‘At the moment there is nothing for me to say. Nothing has changed and nothing is on the table either. No changes in my situation at all.’

Van Dijk made headlines a few months back when he refused to commit his future to the club – saying he would see what happens with all the changes afoot – but he has since been on record to speak of his love for Liverpool, hinting that he wants to extend his deal.

Asked about all the changes coming with Arne Slot replacing Klopp, the Dutchman said: ‘Massive changes. Not only the manager but there are multiple departments within the club that have a lot of staff members leaving and we are at the stage we have to trust the club.

‘We will see in pre-season how things will look. Change is sometimes a little bit scary as you are in the unknown but the only thing you can do is trust the club and we will find out how it looks when we come back and report for pre-season.

‘One thing I do know is we need a good break after our tournaments (European Championships or Copa America) because otherwise we will be in trouble as well going into the season. Hopefully the new manager will look into that as well.’