Jurgen Klopp Laughs Off Carragher's Van Dijk Weight Claims
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hit back at club legend Jamie Carragher following the pundit's claims that center back Virgil van Dijk needs to lose weight in order to prosper at Liverpool.
The 26-year-old has come under scrutiny for his start to life on Merseyside. Following his debut winner over Everton, the Dutchman played 90 minutes in both shock defeats at the hands of West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City.
Former Anfield skipper Carragher had suggested that a cause behind the Netherlands international perhaps not having the full impact most would have expected was due to the player's physical state, insisting that he may need to lose a few pounds in order to be in peak condition.
However, when asked about Carragher's comments, Klopp defended his player, insisting that the club's nutritional staff had not come to him with any issues, and that the Sky Sports presenter should in fact look at his own weight before discussing others'.
"Wow! I am sure Jamie needs to lose a little bit of weight but for Virgil that's not the case", the German joked in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
"He is a big and tall player - that's how it is. We have the best nutrition department and no-one came to me and said we need to work with him.
"Being fit means all of that so you have at the end more muscle than anything else. It is not an issue, not at all."
Klopp did however concede that Liverpool fans may need to wait until next season to see the best of Van Dijk.
"I'm very happy with Virgil," he added. "A few ups and downs as expected. We will see Virgil van Dijk at his best after the summer but we don't have the time to wait until then and why should we? He can bring in a lot of things already."
