Virgil van Dijk impacted by Liverpool woes as star faced music 'week after week'

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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesVirgil Van DijkVirgil van Dijk has set the standard at Liverpool for much of his career but his responsibilities left him feeling drained by this season's runin, according to a new reportVirgil van Dijk endured a tough season at Liverpool(Image: 2026 James Gill - Danehouse)Virgil van Dijk found it difficult toward the end of the season to deal with all of his responsibilities as the Liverpool captain, according to a report.Van Dijk is known for speaking to the media after virtually every game, and on top of becoming the oldest outfield player to play every minute of a Premier League season, The Athletic says that he began to feel drained during Liverpool's run-in.The Dutch center-back is admired inside the club for his leadership credentials, but his attempts to lift his struggling teammates throughout the season eventually took their toll on him — at a time when his on-field level was also not at its highest.The Athletic report adds that "a number of dressing room sources detailed how the mood deteriorated and belief ebbed away over the course of the season."Van Dijk's frustration with the way Liverpool's season panned out was evident as he spoke following Sunday's 1-1 draw againstw Brentford, which brought the curtain down on Liverpool's season.“That’s the only positive [qualifying for the Champions League]," Van Dijk said. “Now we’ll say goodbye to legends of the club and focus is on that right now.“The bare minimum that we should try and get out of this poor season.

Onwards and upwards so we keep going.“It’s been the most challenging year of my career. It’s tough to take, tough to go through that as a team.

But we are Liverpool. We always come out of it stronger.”Van Dijk shoulders plenty of responsibility as Liverpool's captain(Image: Getty Images)In his program notes ahead of that game, Van Dijk had told supporters that the good times were coming, despite a season which saw the team finish 25 points off the top of the table and fail to make it past the quarter-finals in any of the cup competitions.“Of all the frustrations and the disappointments that we have felt this season, the biggest is that on too many occasions we have been unable to make you [the fans] happy,” Van Dijk wrote.“[We have been] unable to pay you back for the time, the effort, the passion and the love that you give us.“Believe me when I say that we all want the same thing, and that is for this club to be successful.“It may not feel like it at the moment, given how the season has gone, but I truly believe that good times are not far away."Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Virgil Van DijkLiverpool FC