Virgil van Dijk sends message to Liverpool fans for Manchester United fixture in Premier League

Virgil van Dijk, a Liverpool defender, has made a request to Liverpool fans ahead of Tuesday’s match against Manchester United.

The fortunes of United and Liverpool are diametrically opposed going into the encounter. United narrowly defeated Norwich 3-2 over the weekend, thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo, while Liverpool advanced to the FA Cup final after defeating Manchester City.

Ralf Rangnick’s side has been knocked out of all cup competitions, but Liverpool are still in contention for the quadruple as the season progresses. United are 19 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League, but these matches don’t always follow the form book, despite the clear quality gap between the two sides.

Van Dijk has cautioned that the United encounter will be ‘intense,’ and he has asked Liverpool supporters to back their squad.

Van Dijk told reporters, “I’ve played almost 50 games this season, so that’s something I won’t take for granted.”

“I simply want to keep going, stay in shape, win games, and see what the future holds, as well as prepare for the World Cup.

“Normally, you play every three days over the first six months of the season, but you don’t play the biggest opponents every three days, but it’s something you should appreciate, something we all should love.

“The game [against United] on Tuesday will be intense against our rivals, and we need the supporters to be here with us as well. Just enjoy it, and we’ll give it our all. That’s all we can promise until the end of the season, and we’ll see what happens.”