Virgil van Dijk could return from injury as soon as February or March, according to former England international Carlton Palmer.
The 29-year-old is still recovering from the cruciate ligament injury he suffered at Everton back in October – one that is widely expected to see him miss the rest of the season.
Van Dijk’s absence has been huge, with Liverpool not looking the same force without him, despite still getting results in the Premier League.
Someone who believes the Dutchman could be back in the fold sooner is Palmer, who told FootballFanCast that he thinks we could see him as early as next month:
From what I’m seeing from him, he’s on the bike now and he’s started to jog a bit.
If he’s into straight-line running, you would think in the next month to two months (he could be back) – he’s an exceptional athlete and a consummate pro.
If you look, in the past at Alan Shearer having a cruciate [injury], I think Shearer was back in record time because he looks after himself and keeps himself fit, players like that do recover quicker from injury.
You say the season at the time was written off for him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back maybe at the back end of February, beginning of March.
If that’s the case, there’s no need for them to go into the transfer market and pay money for someone they don’t really want.
Read Liverpool Verdict
As great as it would be to see Van Dijk back in action so quickly, I think Palmer is being hugely ambitious.
Liverpool will be sure not to rush him back too quickly, despite his vast influence, with the severity of the injury making it vital he is handled correctly.
Van Dijk turns 30 later this year and the Reds want to enjoy several more years of him at his peak, rather than racing him back into the fold and it affecting him in the long-term.
It would be a big surprise if he appeared between now and May – then again, you feel anything is possible with the Dutch superstar.
