Virgil van Dijk still has 18 months left on his contract with Liverpool, but the Dutchman has already selected a potential successor should he decide to leave.
Virgil van Dijk (Image: Sky Sports)
Virgil van Dijk believes Dominik Szboslai could become Liverpool captain despite doubts over his future. The Hungarian midfielder has been the Reds’ star performer this season, scoring 10 goals already.
Van Dijk has been Liverpool captain since 2023, but with 18 months remaining on his contract at Anfield, all eyes are already on who could take over the armband.
And the defender believes Szoboszlai could be a candidate. “Obviously he’s been very good,” he said, “and I think he’s still a player who can take the next step in terms of being a leader on this team.”
“It starts with leading by example and that’s what he’s done so far this season. But with everything around that, there’s still progress to be made and that’s a good thing in my opinion. So I hope he plays a very important role at Liverpool for many years to come.”
Van Dijk’s comments about Szoboszlai come as the midfielder’s own future at Liverpool is up in the air. The former RB Leipzig midfielder has two years left on his contract, but Hungary manager Marco Rossi is keen on a move to Real Madrid.
read more: Liverpool push to sign Premier League star to ‘complete’ squad as Mo Salah’s successorread more: Liverpool spoke about Dominik Szoboszlai’s personal feelings after renewing Real Madrid’s agent
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He said: “Real Madrid has always been a dream of mine, as I have had a very close and direct relationship with Dominik Szoboszlai since we started playing football as children.
“I don’t know if he can take that step because the decision is up to him and it’s up to his club.”
Despite these comments, Rossi suggested Szoboszlai could still commit his future to Liverpool. He added: “We do not completely rule out the possibility of him remaining at Liverpool and renewing his contract there, especially since he is highly regarded within the club.”
Szoboszlai, who Van Dijk backed to become Liverpool captain (Image: Getty Images)
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Szoboszlai’s agent also gave his opinion on the Liverpool man’s future. Matthias Esterházy said in an interview with Hungarian publication NB1: “When Dominik is performing like this, it’s completely normal for the public to talk about what’s next, whether there’s something higher.”
“So it’s not right in my opinion to talk about what’s going to happen in the summer at the moment. Obviously, Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world and Dominic is in a position in the team where there are a lot of reserves, so we’re not looking outside or elsewhere.”
Szoboszlai joined Liverpool from German club RB Leipzig in 2023 and has played in 129 games in all competitions, scoring 25 goals.
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