‘It’ll cost them the title’: Tony Cascarino claims Van Dijk loss will ruin Liverpool’s season

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Former Republic of Ireland striker and now Talksport pundit, Tony Cascarino, has claimed that Liverpool will miss out on the Premier League title thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s injury.

The Dutch defender suffered a horror challenge at the hands of Jordan Pickford on Saturday and will now miss the majority of the season with a serious ACL injury.

Van Dijk has been in imperious form for the Reds ever since arriving, helping Liverpool to their first ever Premier League title as well as the Champions League last term.

And Cascarino, who was speaking to Talksport this morning, has claimed that the loss is so severe, that Jurgen Klopp’s men will now miss out on winning the league for a second time.

“Every part of his game is a huge loss for Liverpool, and to find a replacement is impossible because he’s the best defender in the world. What is the loss? Just look at the stats, the stats are ridiculous. With Van Dijk in the team and with Van Dijk out of your team, it’s a completely different side.

“It’s a huge blow that I don’t think they’ll overcome. It’ll cost them the title. I can’t see them winning it now.”

Liverpool conceded just 33 goals last season in the Premier League, with Van Dijk a key figure in the back four for the Reds.

However, the likes of Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, and Fabinho will now be expected to step into the void in order to push Liverpool towards a second title in succession.

Cascarino is correct, it will cost Liverpool – TBR View

The point is a good one, well made, by the Talksport man. Van Dijk’s loss is a massive one to the Reds, akin to that of City losing a De Bruyne or Tottenham losing Harry Kane.

It will be interesting to see now if Jurgen Klopp moves in the January window for a new defender. It’s certainly something that’s likely to be on the agenda at Anfield.