LIVERPOOL DEFENDER VIRGIL VAN DIJK NEEDS KNEE SURGERY AFTER HORRIFIC TACKLE

A rash challenge saw Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk, unable to complete the game against Everton over the weekend, and possibly the rest of the season. He will require surgery on his knee that will precede a long recovery process.

The news that Virgil van Dijk may be out for the rest of the English Premier League season will have the Liverpool defender's management, teammates and fans upset. A rash challenge by Everton's keeper, Jordan Pickford, ended the Dutchman's game early on Saturday.

Van Dijk went for a scan before a specialist confirmed the damage to his cruciate ligament (ACL). He will undergo surgery later this week but is unclear how long Liverpool's centre-back will be out for the season.

He took to Twitter to say, " I am fully focussed on my recovery and will do everything I can to be back as quickly as possible".

He also said, "Despite the obvious disappointment, I'm a firm believer that within difficulty lies opportunity, and with God's help I'm going to make sure I return better, fitter and stronger than ever before.

"In football, as in life, I think everything happens for a reason, and it's important to try and keep level-headed whether going through the highs and lows."

Recovering from ACL surgery can take many months, and Liverpool has not said anything regarding his possible return. Van Dijk has been a key player for Liverpool, playing every league game for the past two seasons.

Ex-Blackburn player, Chris Sutton, a pundit for BBC, says the injury will have "massive implications" for Liverpool. "He is their rock at the back, their organiser. Simply put, he is irreplaceable. They are going to have to somehow fill that void. He is such a big player for them."

This disastrous news for Liverpool, but the Netherlands, too, will be hoping that he will be fit before the Euro 2020 set to take place in June 2021.