Ballon d'Or winner comes FULL CIRCLE on DOMINANT Virgil van Dijk

On the back of a disappointing European Championships exit against England while captaining the Netherlands, Virgil van Dijk has been praised for his response so far this season.

Oranje had fought tirelessly in their attempts to make it to the Euro 2024 final, but Ollie Watkins' 90th-minute winner snatched the opportunity away from them.

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Now looking back to his best following Liverpool's impressive start to the season under Arne Slot - winning five of their six games - Van Dijk has attracted attention from Dutch footballing royalty.

In his column for De Telegraaf, Ruud Gullit said: "Compared to the EC [European Championship], I now see a different Virgil van Dijk. He also received criticism from me [alongside Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman] because he did not deliver on the field and was busy with too many side issues.

"He remained captain, but was still much less present than before. That is good, because it means that there is also much less to repair for him at Oranje."

In managing to focus purely on succeeding on the pitch rather than external noise, the Ballon d'Or winner feels Van Dijk is back to his usual self.

Leading the line for Liverpool and the Netherlands

Whilst a towering figure who is a dominant force in defence, Virgil van Dijk's role as captain for club and country must surely be a tiring one.

On the back of a long and emotionally exhausting season with Liverpool as ex-boss Jurgen Klopp retired as a manager, the Dutchman was then tasked with appearing in his first European Championship, leading a talented Netherlands side looking to go all the way.

The way that Holland exited the Euros would undoubtedly have been crushing for Van Dijk, who subsequently admitted he had doubts over whether he would continue to feature for Liverpool and the national team in the future.

But after taking some time, he admitted he was not thinking rationally at the moment and has since made clear his desire to captain both teams for at least the next two years.

Currently right at the centre of contract negotiations at Liverpool, while playing brilliantly as the defence has conceded just one Premier League goal so far, it is positive news to see the defender blocking out the noise.