Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has said winning a second Carabao Cup trophy on Sunday against Newcastle United would give him a place among the captains who had achieved great things at the Premier League club.
The Dutch defender scored the winner in the 118th minute against Chelsea at Wembley last year, securing his first trophy as skipper.
The 33-year-old replaced Jordan Henderson as captain in 2023 under Jürgen Klopp and has retained the armband under successor Arne Slot.
“If you were to lift the two trophies, I think you have a pretty good chance to be on a nice list of captains that have achieved great things in this club,” Van Dijk told British media.
“That’s obviously a big dream of mine since I became the captain of the club. We’re not there, we have a lot of hard work still to do.”
Van Dijk’s contract expires in June but he said he has not been fazed by the uncertainty over an extension.
“I feel I am in one of the best shapes in my career and you have been seeing that,” he said.
“I enjoy playing, I enjoy leading the boys out, I enjoy being there for each and every one of them and I enjoy the responsibility more than ever, maybe because I am getting older slowly. So let’s wait and see.”
Liverpool hold a 15-point lead in the Premier League and will host Merseyside rivals Everton on April 2 after the international break.
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