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It was a genuinely touching interaction as the journalists watched on and a moment of off-the-field class from a centre-back who has provided more than a lifetime of them on the pitch as a Liverpool player.
Off the field, Van Dijk's touching interactions with the Cox family, as well his nod to the importance of Hillsborough at Liverpool FC, was further evidence of just why he is the conscience of the dressing-room, striking the right notes when they are most needed.
"The leader he is in and around this AXA Training Centre, that is something I haven't worked with, a player like him in terms of leadership," Slot admitted on Friday.
If the Reds are to add significantly to their ranks this summer, then it would be a prospect worth considering for any potential target that they will be able to play alongside a player as gifted as Van Dijk for at least the next two seasons.
Crucially, it also affords the recruitment department the time and space to make sure that whoever is Liverpool's defensive rock beyond the Van Dijk years is the right man to succeed a now legendary figure at Anfield.
It would be little shock then, to find that speculation around Bournemouth's Dean Hujisen has some substance to it and the 19-year-old would surely jump at the chance to play alongside and learn from someone as decorated and as respected as Van Dijk, particularly given the teenager was a former Dutch youth international before recently pledging senior allegiance to Spain.
It would also be no major surprise if Ibrahima Konate's mind was considerably influenced by the decision of his centre-back partner to commit for a further two years either
In more than one way, Van Dijk is the perfect captain at Liverpool and while his importance will be obvious in the next week or two as the Reds close in on the title, his enduring influence will be felt for more than the next couple of years too
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