In an interview, Liverpool manager Sloot specifically mentioned Dutch star Virgil van Dijk, praising the leader as a role model for his teammates both on and off the pitch.

Another key match in the fourth round of the 2025/26 FA Cup will be Liverpool hosting Brighton at Anfield.

Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory over Sunderland in the last round of the Premier League, thanks to a goal assisted by Salah and assisted by Van Dijk, which restored the players' confidence.

Liverpool manager Sloot said, "Van Dijk is of course crucial to the team, and we don't even need to look at how many options we have at center-back because if he doesn't play, we have almost none. The same goes for Konaté, and Gomez is getting back into form. Van Dijk has been staying fit, and as I've said before, that's a huge achievement for a player his age because he's no longer young, but he's playing a game every three days."

"This is definitely not a coincidence. If you look at the effort he puts in every day to recover and prepare for the next game, and the time between the end of one game and the start of the next, he is fully committed. As I have said before, staying healthy this season is more difficult because the team and he himself have experienced a lot of setbacks."

Sloot said, "This fully demonstrates everything he has done off the pitch to recover, and also reflects his mental fortitude. He not only fights alongside the team, but also consistently delivers high-level performances, leading the team both on and off the pitch. He did just that in the previous game against Sunderland."

“He scored against Bournemouth and has now scored again, and he has already scored several key goals for us this season, just as he did last season. He is a huge threat in the air, and he is also very important to us in defense to prevent us from conceding goals. So he is very important, and I hope he can score more goals for us from set pieces this season.”

In addition, Japanese star Wataru Endo was injured during the match against Sunderland and had to be stretchered off the field.

Speaking about the midfielder, Sloth said, "It's a foot injury, we need to evaluate it further, and he will be out for quite some time."

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