Virgil van Dijk has chosen to keep going with the Netherlands, and that keeps Liverpool's succession debate in view. Danny Murphy's view is that the bigger issue at Liverpool is not just Van Dijk's eventual exit. He thinks the full-backs are not giving enough with the ball, or enough defensively, to match the club's standards.
Murphy's case on Liverpool's full-backs
Speaking to goal.com, Murphy said Liverpool's success has long depended on full-backs who are "wonderfully good going forward" and on midfielders who covered for them when they pushed high. He added that the full-backs "aren't good enough with the ball" and that their end product is not at the level Liverpool need.
The names he pointed to are Jeremie Frimpong and Ronald Araújo. Frimpong has only 3 Premier League appearances in 2026, while Araújo is on loan from Barcelona and, in Murphy's view, is not a natural marauding full-back. Murky balance is the issue here, not just one player underperforming.
Murphy's criticism is backed by the wider numbers around Liverpool's wide defenders. Frimpong's Premier League rating in 2026 is 6.37, while Milos Kerkez has 5 appearances and a 6.56 rating. Those are not numbers that settle the debate about either side of the defence.
Van Dijk's Netherlands call keeps the pressure on
Van Dijk described the call to continue with the Netherlands as "a massive decision". He said he wanted the "confidence and the combination of respect and joy" before agreeing, and he is looking forward to "the important four games" with the national team.
The age and contract angle is hard to ignore. Van Dijk will be 35 when his Liverpool contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 campaign, and he is four caps away from 100 appearances for the Netherlands. Memphis Depay, with 112 caps, is the only active Dutch player with more.
There is still a split around what happens next. Ruud Gullit has said there is a huge debate in Holland over whether Van Dijk should retire internationally. Van Dijk's own words point the other way for now, but the Liverpool question does not go away just because he remains committed to the Netherlands.
Liverpool can point to 5 Premier League appearances from Van Dijk in 2026, and his level remains high enough to keep the conversation alive. The harder problem is whether the club have a convincing answer at full-back before the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
