Virgil van Dijk has had 'really good conversations' with Arne Slot ahead of Liverpool contract call

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has held some "really good conversations" with new head coach Arne Slot , according to Dutch coach Rene Meulensteen.

Meulensteen was speaking to Boyle Sports, who offer the latest Champions League betting . "I think Van Dijk has had some really good conversations with Arne Slot and he’ll know that he is still going to be such a key player for Liverpool ," he said.

The former Manchester United assistant, however, was not too fulsome in his praise for the Liverpool man. Van Dijk returned to pre-season training at the AXA Training Centre this week having led his country to the semi-finals at Euro 2024 but Meulensteen believes some of the criticism thrown his way in his homeland is justified.

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"I think the criticism crept in a little bit during Euro 2024," Meulensteen continued. "I don't think he took enough responsibility in terms of possession on the ball by just shifting it wide and sideways rather than carrying it into midfield and breaking the lines, taking more risks, and being adventurous.

"He’s 33 now but he's still got a few years to go and he's obviously got bags of experience. He had this horrendous injury and it took a bit of a while again to get back, but then we saw the best of him again.

"So he's definitely still a very, very good center-back but I always find it difficult to compare him to Nemanja Vidic or John Terry, because it will show disrespect to those that you leave it. Is Van Dijk one of the 10 best defenders in Premier League history? For sure. If Arne Slot can get him back to his best, it’s going to be very good for Liverpool."

Liverpool.com says: Now Van Dijk is back in the building after his holiday, there is a real need to get on with contract talks. That might have to wait until the transfer window closes and the Reds can have proper, sustained talks with his representatives, but losing the Reds' captain is not an option next summer. He remains one of the best in the world in his position.

Bizarrely, Meulensteen is not unusual in being a Dutchman who is reluctant to give Van Dijk praise. With his Manchester United links, though, perhaps it should not be a huge surprise. Liverpool knows how good its captain is — but it needs to reward him with a new deal as soon as possible to shut down any speculation about a potential exit.