Ex-Liverpool captain Hyypia believes Van Dijk is a Liverpool leader, and Henderson and Milner are benefiting as a result.
"Van Dijk is not got the armband, but he has all the attributes of a leader,” said Hyypia.
"You don't need the armband to be a leader or an important character on the field or in the dressing room.
"We needed a leader and, when Virgil arrived, he filled that void.
"In my opinion, Jordan Henderson and James Milner are a good captain and vice-captain, but it's not enough to just have two – you need maybe four or five.
"Virgil was a good addition to that and he took the weight off the other two captains."
"He gives a lot of confidence to everyone, is always talking on the field and makes everyone around him play better.
"For me, he's the last piece of the puzzle in the search for the first Premier League title.
"Attacking-wise, we were going in the right direction, but, in defence, we needed him to close the circle.”