Liverpool fans got the boost they had been waiting for on Monday afternoon as Virgil van Dijk returned to team training for the first time since last October.
The Dutchman has been absent for eight months following surgery to a damaged anterior cruciate knee ligament.
Having trained alone recently following a gruelling rehabilitation period, the 30-year-old joined a trio of teammates for the dreaded lactate test in Austria.
Pictured alongside James Milner, Takumi Minamino and another long-term absentee Joel Matip, the club’s official Twitter account posted images of the star.
Twitter: The hard work begins again
#LFCPreSeason https://t.co/frfuT0htRD (@LFC)
Van Dijk only managed eight appearances for the Reds last season before his campaign was brought to a premature end in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp’s side struggled to a third-place finish and the Dutch captain was forced to miss this summer’s European Championships.
READ LIVERPOOL VERDICT
This is what we’ve all been waiting for.
Albeit Klopp’s side missed Gomez and Matip in equal measure, there is little doubt their ‘Rolls Royce’ centre-back was the biggest miss.
Those three back fit and firing as well as the addition of Ibrahima Konate will surely see the Reds compete amongst the upper echelons once again next term.
