Pickford's horror tackle in the Merseyside Derby in October 2020 led Van Dijk to miss playing in Euro 2020 with the Netherlands as he spent 300 days off the pitch recovering. The towering defender underwent surgery to repair his knee and spent every waking second in the gym to build his fitness back up.
Reflecting on that period in an interview with GQ, he surprisingly saw the silver lining in what was a horrific challenge that could have cut his career short.
“It was one of the best times of my life,” he told GQ. “Look… 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.”
Former manager Jurgen Klopp was a huge help for the 33-year-old who recently signed a new deal with the Reds, the German head coach spoke to him about confidence and how those who focus on his mistakes after the injury should be ignored.
“Confidence is like a flower,” he said. “Jurgen taught me that. It is delicate. It can be easily crushed. So I know I have to communicate leadership just by someone looking at me.”
The controversy of the tackle was heightened as Pickford escaped punishment due to being offside at the time of the collision. However, Van Dijk seems to be over the event and is more focused on the path ahead as Liverpool continue to dominate in the Premier League with him at the heart of the defense.