Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk suffered a horrible injury in the 2-2 draw with city-rivals Everton on Saturday in Premier League's Round 5. The Dutch defender had to be substituted in the early stages of the Merseyside derby.
"Liverpool FC can confirm Virgil van Dijk will undergo surgery on the knee injury he sustained during Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Everton. The centre-back damaged knee ligaments following an incident involving Blues goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after six minutes at Goodison Park," the club said in a statement.
They added that no specific timescale has been set for the 29-year-old's return on the pitch. However, several English reports, including bein Sports, suggest that the player may miss up to 7-8 months of action. Thus, he certainly will not make a comeback from the injury in 2020.
Virgil van Dijk-Jordan Pickford: What really happened
Liverpool were attacking deep with many players in their opponents' penalty area when Van Dijk received an accurate cross down the right flank. In was around the sixth minute when Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stepped up and made a hostile challenge on the Dutch international.
The VAR room noticed the tackle and referee Michael Oliver opted to check the episode himself. Since it was determined that Van Dijk was offside, VAR and the referee refused to investigate Pickford's foul for a possible red card for the dangerous tackle.
Thus, Jordan Pickford escaped unpunished for his clumsy intervention. To make matters worse for the Reds, Klopp's side failed to win as they were held 2-2 by Carlo Ancelotti's men.
