Virgil van Dijk urges Liverpool to be ‘aggressive’ against Manchester United

By Carl Markham, PA

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk believes adopting a confident and aggressive approach against Manchester United can help propel the club back towards the top four.

Three wins and a draw, accompanied by four clean sheets, mean Jurgen Klopp’s side head into Sunday’s encounter in a much better Premier League position than a month ago, when they lost 3-0 at Wolves.

United are the top-flight’s form team, with their 23 points amassed post-World Cup the most of any side, while they also won the Carabao Cup last weekend.

But Van Dijk is not apprehensive ahead of the Anfield clash, saying: “It is a bit of a game on its own.

“It’s probably getting all the hype that comes with it and we are the ones who obviously are not in good form and they are absolutely in form.

“But we know what we are capable of and we have to be at our best: players, the fans and the whole build-up towards it.

“Everyone has to feel responsible for getting a good result. It is not easy, it’s not easy for fans as well, and sometimes you can get a little bit nervous but we need everyone to be behind us no matter what.

Goal ✅
Clean sheet ✅@VirgilvDijk in #LIVWOL 👌 pic.twitter.com/oxgncuETDw

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 3, 2023

“We could have beaten them there (at Old Trafford in August) but obviously we lost (2-1) and that’s the reality.

“But we should be confident, we should be aggressive and I’m looking forward to it because you want to be out there performing and showing what you can do.

“We will give it everything and hopefully it will be a good game on our side and we keep marching on towards that Champions League spot.”