Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool are ‘unfamiliar’ with Arne Slot’s arrival

Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool face a step into the unknown under new head coach Arne Slot – but is confident the Reds can continue their upward trajectory under the Dutchman.

Slot will officially begin his Anfield reign next Saturday after being appointed to replace Jurgen Klopp, who left after almost nine years in charge.

The Reds ended the current campaign by returning to the Champions League with a third-placed finish, having earlier won the League Cup with a final victory over Chelsea.

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And Liverpool captain Van Dijk echoed the comments of vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, believing the transition to the new coaching staff will be relatively painless.

“I hope so,” he said. “Obviously I have full confidence in the club and in all future decisions. It’s also exciting.

“Change is always a bit of an unknown, but I have full confidence and I’m already looking forward to the new season.”

Asked if Liverpool can build on their good campaign, Van Dijk added: “100 per cent, but success is not guaranteed. It’s quite obvious. We’re going to strip down to do it and we’ve got a good manager coming in, a staff good from behind.

“We are a very good team. Let’s see what happens.”

Van Dijk spoke to Sky Sports at the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday and also discussed the upcoming European Championships in Germany, where he will lead the Netherlands in their group alongside France, Poland and Austria.

“England have a very good team and squad but so many other teams have too, France is very strong,” he said. “It will be interesting.

“I’m looking forward to that too. It’s next door, as we say in Holland, and hopefully we have a lot of Dutch fans and the Orange Army to support us.”