Peter Henry
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has admitted that if push came to shove he would rather lose star defender Virgil Van Dijk than manager Jurgen Klopp.
Dutch defender Van Dijk has been immense since joining the Reds from Southampton for £75 million in January 2017, and the PFA Player of the Year was once again imperious last night as the Anfield outfit defeated Spurs 2-0 in the Champions League final.
However, Carragher reckons Jurgen Klopp is by far the man Liverpool can least afford to lose, and is hoping the Reds can push on towards more success after collecting the first piece of silverware of the German’s Anfield reign.
“I think he is the No 1 at the club. What I mean by that is he is the most important figure,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
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“Sometimes in the team you have a star player but if you’re asking me now if I’d rather lose Van Dijk or the manager, I’d rather lose Van Dijk.
“I think he is a special manager. I don’t know what his contract situation is but I’d give him a new one.
“Hopefully now he can push on. He has got that monkey off his back if you like – the first big trophy, first time he’s won the Champions League, all these finals without winning and all this talk.
“Hopefully for him and those players it isn’t a one-off like it was for us in 2005.
“We won the FA Cup the year after but we didn’t really kick on and win any more trophies. Hopefully as the manager he can do that.”
Liverpool’s win in Madrid sees them crowned Champions of Europe for a sixth time, which means Carragher is more than likely feeling even worse today then he did yesterday…
https://twitter.com/AnfieldHQ/status/1134850417140084736
Liverpool 2-0 Spurs – Champions League Final Player Ratings
See also: Five of the most memorable Champions League finals