Virgil van Dijk has confessed he does not see himself becoming a manager when he eventually calls time on his playing days.
Van Dijk, who turned 33 in the summer, is facing a real crossroads in his career as he approaches the final six months of his Liverpool contract, with questions asked about what the future holds for him in the short term.
Appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Van Dijk looked further into the future with a discussion about his plans for life after playing, hinting at a desire to remain in football in a behind-the-scenes role.
“I said no [to management] but that’s also because coming to this hectic, busy, on-it life that my family is sacrificing a lot, my wife and my kids, to then have a year off or two years off and then going back into it…I don’t think I see it happening, but never say never,” he explained.
“I really feel like I definitely will give something back to football. I love working and seeing younger players out there. I like going, for example, to the Liverpool academy to watch the under-11, 12, 13. The other day I watched the little tournament, under-16s, if I’m correct, and just a couple of games, but also because of the joy, it’s just nice to see.
“The thing is, when I was younger, I was eight or nine, and we had a training session. The first-team players from my team back then, Willem II, two or three players came and trained with us, and I’ll never forget that.
“I know what kind of impact it makes to the younger boys and the younger generation, but what they give to me as well, seeing them happy and playing with pure joy and nothing in their mind or thinking, oh, yeah, anything, that’s something that brings a lot to me as well.
“Going back to the question, I would love to stay in football in the future. But at this time, I don’t know which kind of role, and it’s too far away to think about it.”
Before switching his attention to his next career, Van Dijk must first reach a resolution on his Liverpool future. The centre-back recently admitted “discussions are ongoing” with Anfield officials, but fans are nervously awaiting a resolution.
Listen to the full Rio Meets Virgil interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, presented by Qatar Airways
