Virgil van Dijk keeps producing elite performances, but the bigger Liverpool question is how long they can keep asking him to do this much. Since June 2025, he has played 5,841 minutes, the most of any player inside Europe’s top-five leagues, and he has missed only 279 minutes in total. At 34 years and 320 days, he also became the oldest player to play every minute of a Premier League campaign.
How much Van Dijk is being asked to do
The workload is the story. Van Dijk made 55 appearances for Liverpool last term, then carried that volume straight into club and international duty without much sign of easing up. The numbers do not support any idea that he has been carefully managed through the season. They point to the opposite.
That matters because the issue is not his level. It is the amount of elite-level football he is still covering at 34. Even if he keeps delivering, the load itself becomes the concern. Liverpool do not need a reminder that centre-backs can be exposed by volume rather than decline, and Van Dijk’s profile is starting to look like exactly that kind of case.
Why the Japan display only sharpened the issue
Against Japan, Van Dijk had 114 touches, more than any other player on the pitch. He also topped the match for defensive contributions with nine, and he scored the opener with a towering header off the post on 50 minutes. It was the sort of all-round display that shows why he is still one of the most influential defenders in the game.
It also underlined how central he remains to everything around him. Netherlands can lean on him, Liverpool can lean on him, and he keeps responding. Wataru Endo said Van Dijk handing him the captain's armband during Liverpool's preseason tour of Japan was "a great gesture", while also describing his own Liverpool trip there as a dream-come-true moment.
There is a fair argument that Liverpool need better load management rather than a sudden rethink. That is the safer reading, and the one the leadership side of the story supports. But the workload numbers are too stark to ignore. Van Dijk is still delivering at a very high level, and that is exactly why the club should be uneasy about how much he is being asked to carry.
If Liverpool keep leaning on him at this rate, the next issue is not whether he can still perform. It is whether they can keep that up without paying for it later in the season.
FAQ
Why are Liverpool worried about Virgil van Dijk even after another strong performance?
Because the concern is workload, not form. Van Dijk has played 5,841 minutes since June 2025, missed just 279 minutes in total, and at 34 years and 320 days he became the oldest player to play every minute of a Premier League campaign.
How much has Virgil van Dijk played for Liverpool and the Netherlands since June 2025?
He has played 5,841 minutes since June 2025. He has missed only 279 minutes in total, split between 90 for the Netherlands and 189 for Liverpool, which shows how close to ever-present he has been.
Did Virgil van Dijk still dominate the Netherlands-Japan match?
Yes. He had 114 touches, more than any other player on the pitch, topped the match for defensive contributions with nine, and scored the opener with a towering header off the post on 50 minutes.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →