Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk admits the disruption of the World Cup has impacted their season.

Van Dijk is heading to Qatar with the Netherlands, while many other Reds are also representing their countries in the tournament.

With the Reds still adrift of the top four in the Premier League, Van Dijk admits having such a big international tournament in the middle of the season is disruptive.

"I would say the last couple of months has been just strange," said the Netherlands captain, per the Liverpool Echo.

"Everyone is trying to find consistency, not only us as a team and as a club, but if you look at other teams around it is just difficult. No-one really can put a finger on it.

"Obviously a big part of this is because there is going to be a such a big break coming up and the World Cup and players getting injured, players not fully fit. It was strange, it was difficult for everyone, but I can only speak for us because I'm in the middle of it.

"But it was good to find a bit of stability in the last couple of games. Obviously a lot of players will still work during the break after a holiday period first. It was good to reach 22 points. It has been a tough couple of months but I think it was very important to win a tough game against a team with a new manager."