Jurgen Klopp’s Virgil van Dijk praise raises questions over Liverpool's forgotten man

In a world of Rolls Royce central defenders, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp needed a tank to keep out Burnley's physical onslaught. Grace, beauty, and composure may ooze from Virgil van Dijk, but the Dutchman's blood, sweat, and an awful lot of grit is what helped him cope with the Clarets' 6ft 6in summer signing Wout Weghorst.

The modern defender, particularly one of van Dijk’s stature, is a truly wonderful thing, but nothing is pretty when you are facing an onslaught of driven passes and crosses from Sean Dyche’s gutsy side.

"He was absolutely at his best again and I would say that is good timing because there is a decisive part of the season coming now, obviously. Long may it continue,” Klopp said when asked about van Dijk’s performance.

A sense of relief permeated through the words of the former Borussia Dortmund manager, almost as if hope had been restored with van Dijk’s return for prominence.

But if there were any concerns about the form of the 30-year-old defensive behemoth, then it beggars the question of Ibrahima Konate’s lack of action since his £36million arrival in the summer.

All problems in the backline are now solved was the consensus greeting the former RB Leipzig defender’s unveiling at Anfield.

With swift intent and purpose, the Reds secured his arrival and agreed to pay his release clause a month before the summer window even began.

Once the contracts were signed and the unveiling photos were taken, Liverpool left the transfer window before their rivals had even entered it.

Unlike their long pursuit of van Dijk, Klopp’s side were not dragged into endless, bitter negotiations, that concluded with allegations of tapping up the player – they knew Konate was the man, and they ensured the deal went