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'Put your head down and play' - Virgil van Dijk on Harry Maguire's record transfer fee

Virgil van Dijk believes that the man who claimed his old spot at the top of world football's lis...



'Put your head down and play'...
Soccer

'Put your head down and play' - Virgil van Dijk on Harry Maguire's record transfer fee

Virgil van Dijk believes that the man who claimed his old spot at the top of world football's list of most expensive defenders must now just concentrate on playing football.

Manchester United paid Leicester City a staggering £80 million to sign Harry Maguire last week, £5 million pounds more than the fee that Liverpool paid to Southampton to acquire the services of van Dijk.

Ahead of the UEFA Super Cup final clash between the Merseysiders and Chelsea on Wednesday night, van Dijk was asked if the transfer fee was something that could weigh heavily on the shoulders of the United centre-back.

"I don't think the price tag should, it wasn't personally [for me], be a big issue," said van Dijk. "It's something that you don't have any influence on, it happens, that's the market.

"The only thing you can do is put your head down and start playing, give everything for the team and, that's what I did and it's worked so far. I just try to keep doing that, keep progressing and be a better player."

Liverpool will be without their first-choice goalkeeper for the final in Istanbul.

Alisson picked up a calf injury in their Premier League win against Norwich City on the opening weekend of the season and will be sidelined for the next few weeks.

His replacement Adrian came on as a substitute against the Canaries and despite only being at the club for a couple of weeks, the Dutch international revealed that the Spanish netminder is settling in well.

"We have been working day-in, day-out," said van Dijk. "I think for him it's probably good that he starts playing straight away. Obviously, it's not the situation that you hope to be in, Alisson is getting injured, and you have to come in.

"He is experienced enough to go out there, show his qualities because he has plenty of qualities. He's played so many years in the Premier League and we can already see in training how good he can be.

"He needs our support, we all do it together, we defend together as well and we need him there as well and he needs us as well so, he will definitely do the job."

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