GOOD NEWS : Arne Slot will save Liverpool millions as he already has his Virgil van Dijk replacement

All eyes are on who will replace impervious Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk with him turning 33, but Liverpool may already have a deputy in their ranks

A replacement for Van Dijk may already be playing under Slot

A replacement for Van Dijk may already be at the club

Liverpool boss Arne Slot already has a replacement for Virgil van Dijk in Jarrell Quansah, according to Reds legend John Barnes.

Van Dijk has debatably been one of the Liverpool’s greatest Premier League defenders, after he joined from Southampton in January 2018. But 270 appearances later, questions have been raised over how long he will have left at Anfield.

The Dutch defender’s contract expires in June 2025, and a replacement must be considered amid reports of him debating his future this summer.

However, according to Barnes, the Reds and new boss Slot don’t have to look far, as young Englishman Quansah fits the bill and could develop into a top centre-half.

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Van Dijk is absent from Liverpool’s preseason tour of the US after being given some time off after Euro 2024, and has addressed his future this summer, saying”I will think carefully about what I want, at club level and as an international player.”

While The Athletic report that those comments haven’t worried Liverpool’s hierarchy, if Van Dijk were to leave this year or next, then Barnes believes that Quansah could fill his boots, telling bettingexpert.com: “I think Konate is still the first choice next to van Dijk because he’s got the experience and the quality but Quansah didn’t let anyone down last season.