For me, Van Dijk remains far too important to lose and Liverpool should be planning his eventual succession rather than forcing it next summer.

Craig is off enjoying a very well deserved break for the next couple of weeks, so you’re stuck with me for the time being. I’ll try not to destroy the place before he gets back.

There is plenty happening at Liverpool while he’s away, and unfortunately some of it involves injuries. Cody Gakpo has returned from international duty after suffering an ankle problem with the Netherlands, while Alexander Isak has also picked up a knock with Sweden. Liverpool have confirmed Gakpo will now be assessed back at the AXA Training Centre.

Hopefully neither proves serious because Manchester City are waiting after the international break.

But there’s another story I want to concentrate on today, and it concerns Virgil van Dijk.

Julian Ward has officially started work as Liverpool’s sporting director and it’s therefore time to highlight some of the decisions waiting for him. Rio Ngumoha’s future needs sorting, midfield looks an obvious priority and then there is the small matter of Liverpool’s captain.

For me, this should be straightforward.

Give Virgil a new contract.

I’m Not Ready To Say Goodbye To Van Dijk

I understand why there is a conversation.

Virgil is 35. He isn’t going to be Liverpool’s centre-back forever and there has obviously been some physical decline from the absolute monster we watched at his peak.

But sometimes I think Van Dijk suffers because of the ridiculous standard he set himself.

When you’ve spent years operating up here while practically every other defender is down there, even a slight decline becomes incredibly noticeable. People see that difference and conclude he’s finished.

I don’t see that at all.

His positioning remains exceptional. He’s still dominant aerially, his distribution remains hugely important to the way Liverpool build attacks and, perhaps most importantly, he is the captain of this football club.

We’ve already seen how much Jeremy Jacquet appears to be benefiting from playing alongside him. Giovanni Leoni is another young centre-back who can learn from one of the best defenders of his generation.

Why voluntarily remove that?

I’m not suggesting Liverpool give Virgil another five-year contract. A year, potentially two depending on how the deal is structured, would make perfect sense to me.

Yes, he earns significant wages. But replacing him properly is going to cost significant money as well.

And Liverpool already have other places where that money needs spending.

Losing Van Dijk And Alisson Together Makes No Sense

This is the part that concerns me most.

There is already uncertainty surrounding Alisson Becker beyond this season.

If Liverpool are preparing for the possibility of changing their goalkeeper, do we really want to change the leader of the defence at exactly the same time?

That feels like an enormous amount of disruption.

Jacquet looks superb. Leoni has huge potential. Joe Gomez provides experience when available. But Van Dijk remains the player holding everything together.

If Liverpool decide his time is up eventually, fine. Football moves on and succession planning is part of running an elite club.

Just don’t create two enormous problems simultaneously.

Extend Virgil, deal with the other areas of the squad and give yourself another year to properly identify the defender who eventually takes over that responsibility.

That also means there should be absolutely no conversation about January.

We’ve seen links with Real Madrid and AC Milan, and I can completely understand why clubs of that level would want him. If Virgil becomes available for nothing, there will be some enormous clubs interested.

Selling him halfway through this season, however, would be madness.

Who replaces him?

Liverpool could potentially find themselves trying to compete for trophies with Jacquet, Leoni and Gomez while attempting to replace their captain in the middle of a season.

No thanks.

Mac Allister Creates A Different Problem

The other interesting contract discussion surrounds Alexis Mac Allister.

This one is far more complicated for me.

Dominik Szoboszlai has received a new deal. Ryan Gravenberch has received one. Yet there appears to be uncertainty over whether Mac Allister will get the same treatment.

I love Alexis and I think we’ve seen him getting back towards his best recently. If you asked me which midfielder I trust most in a big game right now, there’s every chance I’d say Mac Allister.

But Liverpool also need another midfielder.

Lamine Camara remains the obvious name and I absolutely want Liverpool to pursue him. That creates a difficult question because I don’t particularly want to lose any of the midfielders we already have either.

Do you sell Mac Allister while his value remains high?

Do you move Gravenberch instead?

Do you simply add Camara and create genuine competition?

That last option would be my preference if the numbers allow it.

We’ve lost midfield depth over the past couple of windows and we’ve spent enough time talking about balance in that area already this season. I’d rather give Iraola more options than remove one before bringing another in.

That’s one of the big decisions Ward has inherited.

Gakpo Injury Comes At The Worst Possible Time

Then we come back to the international break and the injuries.

Gakpo’s timing really couldn’t be much worse.

He has been in excellent form and Manchester City at Anfield looked like exactly the type of game where he could have a major influence. Now we’re waiting to discover whether he’ll be available.

Isak has also returned early from Sweden duty, which suddenly leaves Iraola looking at an attack that isn’t quite as healthy as it appeared a few weeks ago.

The encouraging thing with Gakpo is that the initial messaging from the Netherlands camp did not suggest a major injury. Reports subsequently indicated he could be missing for several weeks, so we’ll have to see what Liverpool’s assessment tells us.

This is the bit of international football every club supporter hates.

You spend the entire break hoping everybody comes back in one piece, then start seeing photographs of players receiving treatment or announcements that somebody has withdrawn from a squad.

Liverpool have Manchester City waiting on October 11.

I want Gakpo and Isak available for that one because, whatever is happening around City at the moment, Liverpool need to concentrate on what happens on the pitch.

And while Ward begins working through his rather large Liverpool to-do list, I hope Van Dijk’s name is somewhere near the top.

I don’t want another contract saga.

I don’t want Liverpool replacing Alisson and Virgil in the same summer.

And I certainly don’t want to watch one of the biggest clubs in Europe pick up our captain for nothing while he’s still capable of performing at this level.

Give him another contract.

Sometimes the obvious decision really is the right one.