Virgil van Dijk predicts when Jurgen Klopp will return to management

Virgil van Dijk expects Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to make a quick return to work when he eventually leaves Anfield this summer.

Klopp will step down from his post at the end of the season after nine successful years and has vowed to take at least one year out of management before considering a return to the dugout, even hinting that he may never manage again.

Speaking to The Times, Van Dijk admitted he was sad to hear of Klopp's imminent departure but admitted he does not expect to see the German out of action for long.

"I never thought that I was going to be playing at Liverpool without him being the manager," Van Dijk said. "If you think about Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is one of the first figures that you would think about.

"He's part of the culture of the city. And the success that we have has been incredible, what we've done since he came to the club. But I think he made that decision for him and his family and he needed that year off.

"I think he will definitely be back quite quickly because he lives and breathes football. We'll see."

Van Dijk went on to look back at the team meeting which saw Klopp confirm his decision to step down.

"I had a sense that there was something serious going to be announced, and then you're going to think about, 'What can it be?'," he recalled. "But in life these things happen. And yes, I think the decision was best for him and his family.

"It was a bit... silence. It was before training, so there was a bit of silence, then we just got changed and went out for training and everything was quite normal.

"I've sent a message, a group chat with all the players on it, making sure that we still have the same goals, nothing has changed until the end of the season, then he will have a farewell that will hopefully be the best farewell he could have imagined."

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