Van Dijk's World Cup workload raises fresh fitness fears for Liverpool next season

Virgil van Dijk headed the Netherlands in front and dominated every defensive statistic as Ronald Koeman’s side were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan at Dallas Stadium in their World Cup opener, but the performance only underlined how dangerously reliant the Dutch have become on their 34-year-old captain.

No player across Europe’s top five leagues had accumulated more minutes than Van Dijk’s 5,841 since June 2025. In that same period he has missed just 279 minutes in total — 90 for the Netherlands and 189 for Liverpool — a figure that defies conventional wisdom for a player widely considered to be in the final chapter of his career.

Against Japan, Van Dijk’s influence extended well beyond defending. With Bart Verbruggen apparently managing a hip problem, the Liverpool skipper took goal kicks and registered 114 touches — more than any other player on the pitch — while his nine defensive contributions were unmatched by any team-mate. He orchestrated virtually every phase of play from the back, directing traffic in the manner of a conductor rather than a centre-back.

Koeman does have cover available. Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato were both among the substitutes, offering the manager the option to rotate in quieter group-stage fixtures. But the reality, as this performance demonstrated, is that the Netherlands’ structure funnels almost everything through Van Dijk, making meaningful rest difficult to engineer without disrupting the team’s entire rhythm.

The physical arithmetic is stark. Van Dijk made 55 appearances for Liverpool last season and, at 34 years and 320 days, became the oldest outfield player to complete every minute of a Premier League campaign — surpassing a record previously held by John Terry. It was the second time he had achieved the feat, having also played every top-flight minute during Liverpool’s title-winning 2019-20 season.

For Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola, a deep Netherlands run at this expanded 48-team tournament carries real risk. The new Round of 32 stage means a potential extra knockout match for players who go the distance, and the heat and humidity across North American venues add further physical strain even in climate-controlled stadiums.

If Van Dijk continues at this intensity through the knockout rounds, Liverpool may need to address the question of a credible deputy in the transfer market before next season begins — a conversation the club has so far largely avoided given their captain’s remarkable consistency.