Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool did not know Virgil van Dijk would develop into a superstar of football.

The centre-back, signed from Southampton in January 2018, has played an instrumental role in Liverpool claiming the Champions League and Premier League over the past two seasons.

And after scoring in Sunday's win over Newcastle, van Dijk was lauded as 'special' by his manager.

"I'm not sure if he needs another hour of praise," Klopp said. "He's good, pretty good. He's a good centre-half.

"No, he's special, his combination of skills is special, his mindset – on top of that – is special.

"This makes him a pretty good centre-half and a good guy as well, which I like a lot. I would work with him as well if he was a little more difficult to be with, but he's really low maintenance.

"He's really nice to have. We knew when we signed him we'd get a really good player, but the package is so special, and we had no idea about that. That makes him really, really exciting."

Van Dijk ended the season having played every minute in the Premier League campaign.

Speaking about the Dutchman's appearances, Klopp added: "He takes his breaks in the games from time to time, which drives me crazy.

"But I get it, I get it. It was his big target, I think, that he could do that again. Hopefully that will be possible for the rest of his career. That would be absolutely special.

"We've tried to rest him but it's difficult. So far, it's went well, and we hope it stays like this, but now he has two weeks off as well, so he doesn't need more, I'm sure."