Arne Slot has named Virgil van Dijk as the Liverpool player most capable of moving into management after hanging up his boots.
The Reds defender has previously played down the prospect of entering the dugout, although he has not ruled out the idea of management down the line and would like to stay in the game after his playing days.
Slot needed little thinking when asked to name the players he believes will most comfortably transition into management. In an interview with Sky Sports, Slot revealed why the 33-year-old is often his go-to man to dish out orders during the heat of matches, but also claimed the player is not interested at all in that career path. He said: “I know he’s not interested in becoming a manager, and that’s Virgil.
“He’s mostly the one I pick when I want to give information during the game. Because he’s Dutch, that helps with the language, but he also has a good knowledge of the game. [Alexis] Mac Allister also has a good knowledge of the game and can implement the ideas we have quite fast.”
With his contract expiring in the summer – along with the deals of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold – Van Dijk’s immediate future is up in the air. Looking at the long term, he doesn't have a burning desire to move into management, although he hasn’t completely ruled it out, showing him and Slot might not be quite on the same page over his future goals.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast just last year, Van Dijk outlined his wish to stay in the game – which isn't what Slot believes to be the case – and how he keeps tabs on the youngsters in the Reds’ academy.
“I said no [to management], but that’s also because coming to this hectic, busy, on-it life that my family is sacrificing a lot, my wife and my kid,” he said in October 2024.
“To then have a year off or two years off and then going back into it… I don’t think I see it [management] happening, but never say never. I really feel like I definitely will give something back to football. I love working and seeing younger players out there.
“I like going, for example, to the Liverpool Academy to watch the [underage teams]. I would love to stay in football in the future, but at my time, I don’t know which kind of role, and it’s too far away to think about it.”
Meanwhile, Van Dijk says his focus is on helping Liverpool clinch a treble of the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup – not his contract situation. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s pivotal 2-0 Premier League win at Manchester City, he told Sky Sports: “It’s all about the next couple of months. To make sure we give everything."
He added: “Let’s see what the future brings. But as long as I’m calm, I think the rest of the world can stay calm as well. When there is a definite answer on my future, it will probably be out. Then everyone can know. I’m quite calm about it.”