What Liverpool boss Arne Slot said about facing Virgil van Dijk as a player as amazing picture emerges

ARNE SLOT has opened up connected the singular communicative of the clip helium played against Virgil van Dijk backmost successful 2013.

Liverpool brag Slot incredibly lined up against his now-club skipper during a Dutch league crippled immoderate 11 years ago.

Slot, 46, has impressed massively since taking implicit astatine Anfield this summer, with the Red apical of the array and conceding conscionable 2 league goals successful 7 games.

No tiny portion of his occurrence is acknowledgment to the imperious Van Dijk who has agelong been 1 of the champion centre-halves successful the Premier League - if not the world.

But Slot erstwhile faced disconnected against Van Dijk erstwhile the Netherlands planetary was rising done the ranks successful his location country.

The brace came face-to-face successful 2013 during a lucifer betwixt Slot's FC Zwolle and Van Dijk's Groningen successful the Eredivisie - a clash that ended with Groningen winding up 1-0 victors.

Discussing that time with Men successful Blazers, Slot joked: "Virgil was fortunate that I lone came connected 10 minutes earlier the end. That's wherefore helium could support a cleanable sheet."

Slot - who was a midfielder during his playing days - hung up his boots astatine the extremity of that season, portion Van Dijk was conscionable starting retired his vocation and was lone 22 astatine the time.

Even with his wealthiness of acquisition nether his belt, Slot couldn't person predicted that a young Van Dijk would 1 time beryllium 1 of the champion centre-backs around.

He added: "Everybody thought that Virgil was a precise talented and bully centre-back, but it was a spot unusual that nary apical clubs came successful for him.

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"He had to spell to Celtic archetypal and past to the Premier League to go specified a prima subordinate for Liverpool.

"If you would person asked maine backmost past 'would you expect him to beryllium the caller centre-back astatine Liverpool?', I astir apt would person said no.

"If you would person asked him 'did you expect to play against your caller manager?', helium would astir apt person said nary arsenic well".

Slot volition beryllium hoping his prima defender is connected apical signifier erstwhile his broadside invited Chelsea to Anfield connected Sunday.

The league leaders volition request to beryllium connected apical signifier to halt Enzo Maresca's transformed Blues.

Only Manchester City person scored much goals than Chelsea successful the league this play with the Stamford Bridge outfit bouncing backmost from a lacklustre run past term.