A story told by former Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg sums up the class of compatriot Virgil van Dijk and shows why the Dutchman went on to become the Reds' captain

A share of the spoils away to a Forest side occupying third place in the Premier League and who’d been on a run of seven wins in a row across all competitions is no disgrace, but it speaks to the mentality of Van Dijk and this Liverpool team that they weren’t content with taking a point from the City Ground.

Bill Shankly once said of Ron Yeats that he was so good, Liverpool could play Arthur Askey in goal. If Shankly had seen Virgil van Dijk in his prime, he might have added he could have picked Laurel and Hardy at full-back.

Liverpool are five points clear with a game in hand thanks to Darwin Nunez's crucial cameo away to Brentford and Virgil van Dijk has told the striker to keep working hard

“ Virgil van Dijk made me feel really welcome,” Van den Berg said. “I remember, on my first day, he said to the kit man, ‘make sure his place in the dressing room is next to mine’, and it was those small things that made me feel more at home.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said he believes his team can use the disappointment of last season to help propel them to silverware this term.

Virgil van Dijk has been asked about how Liverpool is shaping up under Arne Slot. The defender also spoke about the various claims that the Reds are the best team in the world.