- Virgil van Dijk has opened up about the “very worrying” mental toll of football’s relentless schedule.
- The 34-year-old remains a machine in Arne Slot’s defence, having played 2,790 league minutes this season.
- A gruelling April awaits the Liverpool captain, with at least six matches scheduled in just 21 days.
Virgil Van Dijk has admitted he has concerns about the mental impact such a gruelling season is having on footballers, when speaking on international duty with the Netherlands.
At 34 years of age, Van Dijk is still chugging along as a machine in Arne Slot’s defence.
Indeed, the Premier League veteran has barely missed a minute of action this season in the hustle and bustle of the top-flight, with 2790 minutes of action in his back pocket in total, from 31 starts.
The workload hasn’t lessened for the ageing centre-back with his beloved nation, either, with a full 90-minute workout against Norway to see out March, even resulting in Van Dijk powering home a goal.
While he looks to be ageing like a fine wine, as the most capped captain in the country’s history, the 6-foot-5 colossus has opened up about the strain all this relentless football is having on the modern-day professional, when speaking to the Norwegian media, at the close of the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory.
“I’m not the youngest anymore” – Van Dijk’s comments
Speaking with Norwegian outlet Stavanger Aftenblad, Van Dijk expressed his disappointment at not being able to face regular Premier League foe, Erling Haaland, during this slim win for the Oranje.
The Manchester City striker was rested by his nation’s manager, Stale Solbakken, with Van Dijk understanding why the call was made so late to protect the lethal marksman.
He said: “Yes, of course. We spoke a couple of weeks ago, and we both expected him to play today. The coach decided with him that he should be rested, and I can understand that, because there are so many matches these days.”
The two-time Premier League title winner further opened up about the intense fixture congestion footballers have to become used to, as he enters into the twlight years of his illustrious career.
He further said: “But it is intense. What can I say? I think it has been said by several people that if we continue like this, the quality of football will decrease due to the number of matches played
“I’m not the youngest anymore, but for the new generation it will be very interesting to see how it goes. That’s because there are a lot of young players playing at the absolute highest level. They have already played so many games.
“That’s another discussion that I don’t want to go into now. However, I’m definitely aware of the mental aspect, and that’s something that I find very worrying.”
A well-needed rest doesn’t look as if it will be coming Van Dijk’s way anytime soon, though, as a bumper April lies ahead for the Reds veteran, and the rest of his tiring teammates.
Indeed, if Liverpool were to reach both the FA Cup final and Champions League final – which is certainly a tall order – they would have a crazy 15 games left to go, before the curtain fell on the 2025/26 season.
Liverpool Schedule: April 2026:
| Competition | Matches in April |
| Premier League | 3 |
| Champions League | 2 |
| FA Cup | 1 |
| Total for now | 6 |
| Potential additions | +2 |
With six games to come, for definite, across April, in a crammed 21-day schedule, it will be intriguing to see if Van Dijk remains central to Slot’s first-team plans, or the 34-year-old will need a rest, like Haaland required on international duty.
