Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk is unsure if he'll be ready for the start of the season.

Van Dijk will step up his comeback in a friendly against Bologna on Thursday but admits he does not yet know when manager Jurgen Klopp will clear him for Premier League action.

“I'm doing well. It's obviously been a tough pre-season, coming back from such a long time (out) to be playing and training with the boys again is a big thing," he told liverpoolfc.com.

“After the (Hertha) game, I was empty, drained. I'd played 20 minutes but it wasn't because of the game, it was because of everything that had happened the whole week and the whole day.

“We are in close contact with Andreas (Kornmayer, head of fitness and conditioning) making sure we are giving the right feedback: we have to be honest with ourselves, and that's how we are where we are at the moment.

“The same goes now for Thursday; I've heard we'll play at least 30 minutes, but it could be maybe longer, and then we just build it up.

"We have another friendly which I am looking forward to at Anfield, of course, at the weekend or on Monday, one of the two, so I will get more minutes then if things go well.

“Then the league will start. At the end of the day, it's all about what the manager wants and we will see how it progresses."