Premier League: Blow For Liverpool As Star Player Suffers Injury, Could Miss Remainder Season

Liverpool FC confirmed Monday their star player Virgil van Dijk will undergo surgery on the knee injury that he sustained during The Reds’ 2-2 draw against Everton over the weekend.

"The center-back damaged knee ligaments following an incident involving Blues goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after six minutes at Goodison Park. Van Dijk was required to be substituted and further assessment on the injury has revealed an operation will be needed. No specific timescale is being placed upon his return to action at this stage," read Liverpool’s official statement.

The statement also further stated the Netherlands defender will begin a rehabilitation program with Liverpool’s medical team to ensure he returned to fitness as soon as possible.

Even though Liverpool have refused to specify how long van Dijk would be out of action, recovering to full fitness from an ACL injury could take many months. It could keep the 29-year-old out for the season, which would be a major blow to the defending champions.

Ever since he arrived at Liverpool from Southampton at a transfer fee of $97 million, van Dijk has been a vital cog of Jurgen Klopp’s team. He played every league game for the club across the last two seasons as Liverpool finished second in 2018-19 before winning their first top-flight title in 30 years in 2019-20.

Van Dijk played a key role in Liverpool’s Champions League title in 2019 and in the Club World Cup title later that year. As a result, in the Ballon d'Or awards, he finished just behind Lionel Messi, who claimed a record sixth trophy.

In the ongoing 2020-21 campaign, van Dijk played seven times for The Reds prior to the Merseyside derby Saturday.

The former Celtic and Southampton defender took to social media Monday to thank everyone for the messages and insisted that he is ready for the challenge ahead.

"I'm ready for the challenge ahead. I'm now fully focused on my recovery and will do everything I can to be back as soon as possible. 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,” the Dutchman wrote in a note he posted on his social media profiles.

Liverpool FC's upcoming fixture is against Ajax in the Champions League on Thursday before they host Sheffield United at Anfield on Oct. 24.