Liverpool Report: Iraola to Rest Van Dijk in Domestic Cups
The short version
- Liverpool are unbeaten under Andoni Iraola but trail Manchester City by six points.
- Virgil van Dijk, 35, has played every Premier League minute this season after a 4,951-minute campaign last year.
- Football Insider reports Iraola will leave Van Dijk out of domestic cup competitions this season.
- Van Dijk's contract runs through the end of this season, with no reported talks on an extension.
A Football Insider report says Virgil van Dijk will sit out cup competitions this season as Andoni Iraola manages the 35-year-old's workload.
Andoni Iraola has not lost a match since taking charge at Liverpool, though the club sits six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City. Performances have been uneven, with some of last season's defensive weaknesses addressed but others still present. The team's results are expected to settle as the new manager gets more time, provided important players stay fit.
Virgil van Dijk remains central to Liverpool's plans. The 35-year-old Dutch center back has played every minute of the club's Premier League season to date, having done the same across all of last season, a campaign that totaled 4,951 minutes.
According to Football Insider, Iraola intends to keep the Liverpool captain out of domestic cup competitions this season in a bid to reduce his workload. The goal is to preserve the defender's availability for key Premier League and Champions League fixtures.
Van Dijk is in the final year of his contract. There are no reports of negotiations at this stage, but an extension would not come as a surprise if his current form continues.
