In the dappled shade, away from the glare of the Spanish sun, Virgil van Dijk thinks about words such as tension and nerves with a little smile. This is meant to be the hardest time, with the days moving slowly between the end of the regular season and Liverpool’s Champions League final against Tottenham in Madrid next Saturday night.
Van Dijk was named PFA player of the season by his fellow professionals, after his imperious form at the heart of Liverpool’s defence helped ensure his club lost just one match in a league campaign that earned them 97 points. They still finished a point behind Manchester City, and their wait to win the league title rolls over into a 30th year.
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