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Rival watch: Liverpool ace van Dijk out for over a month, doubt for Real Madrid clash
Real Madrid have restarted their campaign with a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga, which was followed by a narrow victory over Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. But the road is set to get tougher, especially as the reigning Spanish champions look to shift their focus on European competitions.
One of the biggest tests for Real Madrid in this second half of the season will be the Champions League Round of 16 clash against Liverpool.
Heading into the first-leg encounter at Anfield next month, however, Real Madrid have been handed a major boost as Virgil van Dijk, one of Liverpool’s most important players, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Regarded as the defensive leader for Liverpool, the Dutchman had picked up a knock and had to be substituted during the Reds’ game against Brentford. It was not thought to be a serious one initially.
But Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has revealed that van Dijk’s hamstring injury appears to be much ‘harsher’ and the defender has been ruled out for more than a month.
“Virg was a surprise for us, obviously, a big blow. He didn’t feel a lot. I took him off, actually, no risk. In the end, the diagnosis was pretty harsh, but we talk about weeks – more than a month. I hope it goes quickly, but for now, he is not available. That’s how it is,” said Klopp (h/t GOAL).
“For Virg, it’s harsh. He played an incredible amount of games over the last years. [Now] we cannot use him on the pitch at least. Off the pitch, we will do that,” the German added.
Van Dijk’s hamstring injury means he could face a race against time to be fit for Liverpool’s clash against Real Madrid, with the first leg to be played on February 21 at Anfield.
The Dutchman’s absence could be a major blow for a Liverpool defence that has leaked goals this season. Klopp, though, backed his other options to do well, adding, “We have other centre-halves, as long as that’s the case everything is OK for the team.”
Real Madrid are set for a quiet end to the summer transfer window, with El Larguero confirming that the club has no plans for either an incoming or outgoing transfer on deadline day.
That brings an anticlimactic conclusion to a window in which Madrid initially moved aggressively.
The club completed several notable additions early on, but their activity slowed considerably once it became clear that further recruitment depended on players leaving the squad.
Hence, there will be no late scramble at the Bernabéu, with the current squad expected to remain intact.
Real Madrid’s transfer plans changed
Real Madrid were among the more active clubs at the start of the summer, bringing in Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Carlos Espi, Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella.
However, their approach subsequently became more cautious.
The club had identified further midfield options, including Manu Kone and Kees Smit, but creating space for additional arrivals required departures, which proved to be the stumbling block.
No member of the current squad was prepared to leave, regardless of their position in the pecking order.
On that note, Eduardo Camavinga was one of the players whose future attracted attention, particularly because Madrid had been open to the possibility of a sale if the right proposal arrived.
But the player’s position never changed.
Anton Meana provided further clarity on the situation, saying,
“I spoke with Camavinga’s immediate circle. I wouldn’t say they laughed, but they said there was never any possibility of him leaving all summer.”
Camavinga and Asencio close the door on exits
Camavinga’s stance effectively removed one potential route for Real Madrid to add a new midfielder this summer.
Since there were no meaningful negotiations for his departure, the midfielder was never genuinely close to leaving.
That also means speculation about a late approach from Manchester United or another Premier League club can now be put to one side.
The same applies to Raul Asencio.
The defender’s future had also become a talking point during the latter stages of the window, but he has no desire to leave Real Madrid either.
So, with neither player pushing for an exit, the club has little reason to make a late change.
