Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool expected Virgil van Dijk to have a huge impact at Anfield when they initially signed him from Southampton for a world record fee.
The 27-year-old joined the Reds in January 2018 for £75 million ($98m), becoming the most expensive defender on the planet in the process.
He has been a fixture in Klopp's starting line-up ever since and his influence at the back has been a key factor in Liverpool sustaining a title charge this term.
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The Netherlands international will return to St Mary's this Friday and ahead of that clash, his manager has offered words of praise.