Virgil van Dijk’s smile said it all.
Liverpool had just opened their Premier League campaign with a win, and a good one at that. Norwich, newly-promoted and full of beans, had been comfortably dispatched, Jurgen Klopp’s side looking every bit a title contender as they cruised to a 3-0 victory.
Three points at Carrow Road was the be-all and end-all, as far as the Reds were concerned, but for Van Dijk last Saturday’s game was about much more.
No wonder he was smiling.
It had been more than 10 months since the Dutchman had played a competitive game, and the last time he did, he lasted less than 10 minutes. This time, in Norfolk, he came through 90, unscathed and relatively untroubled.
Back in action, and with a clean sheet to boot.
“It’s been a tough road,” said Van Dijk, speaking pitchside to a pair of local reporters at Carrow Road. “But I’m just happy to be out there again.”
There were times when that day would have seemed miles away. The knee injury sustained against Everton last October felt, in Van Dijk’s words, like having his world shut down.
“You go from one day being fully fit, to the next day you can’t walk,” he reflected. “You’re full of medication, full of pain, you can’t sleep…”
Van Dijk knew, as soon as Jordan Pickford made contact with him, that it was a bad one. He had felt his right knee buckle under the weight of the Everton goalkeeper’s challenge, and though he was able to walk to the away dressing room at Goodison Park, he knew before he got there that he was facing a long time on the sidelines.
A fortnight later he was in London, undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The operation was a success, said the surgeon, but the hard work would start there.
Liverpool were careful not to place a timeframe on Van Dijk’s recovery, mainly so as not to place any pressure on the player, but knew the 30-year-old would throw himself into his rehabilitation as he would a tackle or an aerial duel. No half-measures, no corners cut, just full commitment, dedication and professionalism.
“In the beginning you’re in a bad place,” Van Dijk revealed in an interview with Liverpool’s official website back in May. “You’re home, you’ve had the surgery, you’re feeling down, full of pain. You go through the motions.”
Van Dijk says his wife and children were vital during those weeks, a distraction as well as an inspiration. Helpful, too, was the support from outside his family.
Team-mates, in particular Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez, would call and Facetime regularly, as would Klopp. Van Dijk received messages from rivals at Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as an apology from Pickford. It didn’t change his circumstances, but helped strengthen his resolve to get back as quickly as possible.
In December he visited Liverpool’s new £50million ($68m) training complex at Kirkby, before heading to Dubai to continue his rehabilitation at the Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Complex.
The NAS, which features two FIFA-standard football pitches as well as an IAAF-standard athletics track, in addition to top-class gym, pool and spa facilities, came with a recommendation from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had spent part of his own recovery from a serious knee injury there in 2018.
Liverpool often encourage players to head abroad during their rehabilitation, believing that a change of scene - not to mention a change of weather, improved privacy and, in this instance, more relaxed rules around social distancing - will be of benefit.
Van Dijk spent the best part of two months in Dubai, where he was visited by former team-mate Dejan Lovren, as well as Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf and UFC superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov, among others.
Throughout, he was in regular contact with Dr Andreas Schlumberger, Liverpool’s new head of recovery and performance.
“He came in and he helped me a lot,” Van Dijk said. “I also had some physios back in Holland, so it [his recovery] is all credit to them.”
He returned to Merseyside in February where, along with Gomez, who had suffered his own knee injury in November, he entered the next phase of his recovery.
He and Gomez were close beforehand, but they are inseparable now, pushing and cajoling each other throughout their rehab. “Together, stronger,” Van Dijk posted on Instagram on February 13, the images showing the two lifting weights and undergoing strengthening exercises.
By March Van Dijk was running outside, straight lines only but another sizeable step forward. In April he was pictured kicking a ball on the grass. There was even speculation he may be able to return before the end of season, in time for the European Championship.
That was never on the cards, though. Van Dijk was desperate to captain the Netherlands, at what would be their first major tournament in seven years, but he accepted it was impossible. In May, he ended the speculation by ruling himself out publicly.
“It’s the right decision,” he said. “It’s tough, but I am at peace with it.”
So as Frank de Boer’s side reached the last 16 at Euro 2020, Van Dijk continued to work. No summer break for him and Gomez, who were able to link up with the Liverpool squad for day one of their pre-season training camp in Austria on July 12.
That was the final phase of the recovery, an increase in training load and intensity, double and triple sessions as the Reds prepared for the new campaign.
Fittingly, Van Dijk and Gomez made their return to action together, playing the final 20 minutes of Liverpool’s friendly against Hertha Berlin in Innsbruck. The Reds lost 4-3 and rivals laughed when both were caught out by Stevan Jovetic for the Germans’ fourth goal, but for Van Dijk it was nothing but a happy occasion.
“It was very emotional,” he said. “It was sort of like a hurdle, I had to get over that, I felt, and then I would come again.”
The club signalled their faith in Van Dijk with a new, four-year contract last week. Then came Norwich, the biggest hurdle yet, and the biggest buzz. Ninety minutes, three points and a clean sheet. Just what he dreamed of.
Saturday brings a fresh challenge, a full house at Anfield for the first time in almost 18 months, and a tough examination against a Burnley side that will certainly not be scared to test him out physically.
He’ll embrace it, though, that’s for sure. After the darkness comes the light, and for Van Dijk and Liverpool, the future looks as bright as can be.