Liverpool defender Virgil 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.
The Holland captain is likely to add another half an hour to the 20 minutes he played against Hertha Berlin last week in his first appearance since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in October.
However, with the club being cautious over the return of him and fellow centre-back Joe Gomez, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in November, there appears to still be some way to go before the pair are passed fit for competitive duty.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk returned to action for the Reds against Hertha Berlin
Liverpool's league season starts at Norwich a week on Saturday but Van Dijk is just taking things day by day after so long out.
'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.
Joe Gomez is also close to retuning from injury after sustaining a knee injury last season
'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
