Ally McCoist admits ‘brilliant’ Liverpool colossus has taken him by surprise this season

Ally McCoist has admitted that the performance levels of one Liverpool player this season have taken him by surprise.

The Reds’ renaissance this term compared to last has been epitomised by Virgil van Dijk, who was well below his imperious best in 2022/23 but has looked a player reborn ever since being given the captaincy last summer.

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Speaking on talkSPORT (12 March, 8:15am), the 61-year-old said that the Dutchman has returned to the world-class standards which were par for the course before the ACL injury that he suffered in the Merseyside derby in October 2020.

McCoist raved: “Brilliant, brilliant. Right now, he is back to where he was before his injury. I was really concerned… I didn’t think he would reach the level that he was at before the injury and I think he is there now.”

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When you consider that Van Dijk came second in the Ballon D’Or rankings in 2019, for pundits like McCoist to state that the 32-year-old is once again reaching his pre-ACL injury levels illustrates how imperious the Liverpool captain has been this season.

Injuries to senior players have seen youngsters like Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley being promoted to first-team regulars, and while their own qualities have enabled them to earn frequent selection, it must’ve helped no end to have a calm and commanding leadership presence in the Dutchman talking them through matches.

For him to offer that guidance and reassurance to his younger teammates while also excelling in terms of his own game shows why he’s been such a massive player for the Reds in their pursuit of the quadruple, the first leg of which owes to his Carabao Cup final-winning exploits.

Van Dijk was PFA Player of the Year five years ago, and it’s an award that he’d fully deserve if he’s to claim it for a second time in 2024. Whether or not Liverpool go on to win the Premier League, he surely has to be in the equation when the candidates for that prize are being selected.

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