Liverpool players “can’t sleep” after Virgil van Dijk injury blow

"None of the players slept"

News that Virgil van Dijk will be ruled out with a long-term knee injury has come as a massive blow to Liverpool's hopes of retaining their Premier League title. Van Dijk, as you're probably more than well aware by now, was clattered by Jordan Pickford during the opening stages of Saturday's Merseyside Derby. It was announced on Sunday that the defender had a grade three tear to his anterior cruciate ligament. With the transfer window now closed, Jurgen Klopp is light on numbers in central defenders - particularly with extra concerns over Joel Matip's fitness. Ahead of the Champions League meeting with Ajax on Wednesday, reports claim Fabinho may be forced to drop into defence from his usual midfield berth to provide cover. Speaking ahead of that game, Georginio Wijnaldum has given an impression of just how much Van Dijk's injury has unsettled his Liverpool teammates, with some struggling to sleep since the game at Goodison Park. "This was different than normal," Wijnaldum is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "The way it happened was really hard for us, and everyone still has a really bad feeling about it. "None of the players slept. It's a hard one to take and it was a hard one for the team." Asked how Van Dijk's absence might impact Liverpool's aspirations of winning a second successive Premier League title, Wijnaldum added: "Virgil is a really important player in our team - he has showed that since he came in. "He is a leader. It's up to us to show that we can still put in good performances without Virgil. We have to."