Virgil van Dijk says Dominic Szoboszlai could succeed him as Liverpool captain after labeling the midfielder as capable of “becoming a leader in this team”.
Szoboszlai has been one of Liverpool’s star players after an embarrassing season for Premier League champions, with the Hungary international showing his versatility at right-back.
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Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has hailed Szoboszlai as “one of the best players in the world today”, with the 25-year-old scoring his 10th goal of the season in the FA Cup fourth round win over Brighton.
Szoboszlai is coming off a 12-goal season for Red Bull Salzburg in 2019/20, his best performance in a single season, and has also won plenty of praise for his all-round performance at Liverpool.
Andy Robertson, who turns 32 next month, is currently Liverpool’s vice-captain, but his contract expires at the end of this season and his future prospects are unclear.
Asked if Szoboszlai could take over as Liverpool captain, Van Dijk replied: “I think it all depends on the manager (Arne Slott). I don’t know. Yeah.”
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“Obviously he’s very good. I think he can still take the next step in being a leader on this team.
“It starts with leading by example and that’s what he’s done so far this season,” Van Dijk said.
“But also everything around it; there’s still progress to be made and that’s a good thing in my opinion, so hopefully he’ll be very important for Liverpool in the next few years.”
Liverpool, 17 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal in sixth place, are still awaiting a clear diagnosis of a foot injury to fellow midfielder Wataru Endo, who has been asked to play at right-back due to ongoing issues.
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The Japan international has made just 12 appearances so far this season, mostly as a substitute, but Van Dijk insists his appearance record belies his impact.
“It’s not good, he’s such an important and respected member of the team, he’s one of the leaders and he always leads by example,” the Dutchman said.
“On the pitch he gave everything. It’s a big blow but we have to deal with it and we will. Hopefully it won’t take too long but it looks like it will.”
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