VIRGIL VAN DIJK helped rebuild Joe Gomez after his Raheem Sterling scrap.
Liverpool star Gomez, 22, became involved in a brawl with Manchester City winger Sterling at England’s training camp before a Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro in November.
Van Dijk has helped Joe Gomez since the Liverpool defender’s brawl with Raheem SterlingCredit: EPA
Joe Gomez was seen with a scratch on his face after altercation with England team-mate SterlingCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
And Gomez suffered a scratch under his eye that was still visible in Thursday night’s win at Wolves.
Fellow Reds defender Van Dijk said: “Of course I talked with Joe and tried to help.
“That incident wasn’t his fault. I spoke to him about it at the time and he came through that.
“I’ve been so impressed by Joe. We all saw last season, before he got injured, how good he is and how good he can be.
“He’s someone I get on very well with — on and off the pitch. That helps, of course.”
Thanks to the inspirational Dutchman, Gomez got his confidence back and returned to the Liverpool first team as they aim to go unbeaten on their way to winning a first title in 30 years.
Van Dijk, 28, says all-conquering Liverpool may be on the brink of becoming Invincibles — but that does not make them unbeatable.
Victory against West Ham in their next Prem match would see them ease past Chelsea’s record 40 league games undefeated with their 15th win on the spin.
It would also take them to within eight games of Arsenal’s Invincibles 49-game unbeaten streak in 2004.
Raheem Sterling was the aggressor in training-ground bust-up after an on-field argument with Gomez in Man City’s loss to LiverpoolCredit: PA:Press Association
Thursday’s gritty 2-1 win at Wolves put the Anfield club on 67 points — 16 clear at the top and on course to City’s 100-point record high in 2017-18.
However despite their undoubted dominance, Van Dijk warns no team is perfect, as the Reds showed when they briefly wobbled against Wolves at Molineux.
Van Dijk confessed: “You never feel unbeatable. It is not a feeling that we have.
“The outside world can have their opinions — they may even think we’ve won it already.
“But we know how this football world works.
“Anything can happen. There were moments against Wolves when things could have been different.
“At 1-1 they could have scored a second. We always feel we have to keep working hard.
“No one is unbeatable so we must just try to keep improving.
“Things are going well at the moment and everyone is in a good situation.”
And Van Dijk, whose team visit Shrewsbury in the FA Cup fourth round tomorrow, is spurred on by those who want to see Klopp’s Kop kings come a cropper.
He added: “There are a lot of people who want to see us fail. But we just want to keep going and improve on what we are doing to stay on the road we are on.
“We all try to win every competition there is.”
Inside Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez’s England canteen chaos with food flying, headlock bust-up and ‘big man’ jibes
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
