The Liverpool captain spent almost a year out injured after rupturing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) after a collision with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in 2020 but welcomed the unexpected time that he got to spend with his loved ones during his period on the sidelines.

Van Dijk told GQ: "It was one of the best times of my life.

"It was tough. Mentally more than anything. You do have sleepless nights.

"You keep asking yourself, how is this gonna pan out? Will I be the same player? But physically, I think, because you're an athlete, you can cope.

"It's just – I had to do the majority of my rehab away from the club, in Dubai, so I was with my family, which was so nice.

"Seven weeks with them. I never get to do that. It was some of the best family time I've ever had.

"And, obviously, no one wants to get a serious knee injury, but that time we had was sort of worth it."

Van Dijk did concede that he was affected by the focus on the injury and how his performances were judged as a result.

The Dutch defender said: "Every mistake, in any game, people will refer to the injury.

"I know you can do nine things right and one thing wrong, and people will only focus on that one wrong thing.

"It can mess your head up and then you lose confidence, you feel scared to make mistakes.

"Confidence is like a flower, Jurgen (Klopp) taught me that.

"So I know I have to communicate leadership just by someone looking at me."