The Reds look set to miss out on Champions League qualification after a challenging season but the defender feels that the club's strong form in recent months - as well as the arrival of fresh faces in the summer - means they are in a good position for next term.

Van Dijk said: "I’m very excited for next season. I think that feeling came a couple of months ago when we turned the page. Obviously there’s still a lot to work on but the good thing in this case is that we have the whole pre-season to work on this and that’s definitely the plan.

"The noises I’m hearing, it’s going to be a very intense pre-season with a lot of physical work but also a lot of tactical work trying to get ready for a tough season. That’s very exciting. Players are leaving, hopefully players come in and will be ready for the start of pre-season."

The Dutch defender isn't concerned that a lack of Champions League football will mean that the Reds find it difficult to sign top players this summer.

He said: "Everybody knows we’ve been going through a little bit of a transition and, if I’m a player on the rise and I have options to go to the next step and Liverpool is knocking on my door, then I would be very, very interested. I don’t think it’s going to change much but, if someone wants to play Champions League no matter what, then that’s their ambition."