sport news Virgil van Dijk reveals a 'little twinge' in his knee was behind his withdrawal ... trends now
Virgil Van Dijk has admitted he felt a 'little twinge' in the back of his knee during the first half in Liverpool's victorious Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
The Dutchman, who started alongside Ibrahima Konate, was withdrawn for Joel Matip after 90 minutes said he could not risk playing anymore for the sake of the team.
It is the first time this season that Van Dijk has been substituted, a fact that only sought to raise the panic levels amongst Liverpool fans.
Speaking to ITV after the game, Van Dijk looked to allay fears of any major injury but said that the measure was hopefully precautionary.
Virgil Van Dijk, the towering figure at the heart of the Liverpool backline, was unusually withdrawn after 90 minutes
A dark shadow was cast over the Cup final for Liverpool after Van Dijk's substitution
He said in response to a question of his wellbeing: 'Hopefully well.'
He added: 'We're going to check it out. I felt in the first half when I did a sprint in the channel after 20 minutes or something, I felt a little twinge behind my knee.
'I played on, but in the end I thought "if they put quite fast strikers in", I can't risk it for the team and I need to trust in Joel [Matip] in this case. Hopefully it will be fine and positive mindset.'
Meanwhile, Mo Salah, who was withdrawn for Diogo Jota after only 32 minutes with a suspected groin injury told reporters after the game that he would be 'fine' for Liverpool's date with Real Madrid in Paris for the Champions League on May 28.
