Virgil van Dijk is itching to pull on a Liverpool shirt again after serving a two-game suspension as the Reds’ Europa League campaign gets underway.
The club captain hasn’t played for Liverpool for nearly a month, since being sent off against Newcastle United, with his ban later extended after he admitted an FA charge for improper conduct.
But with Jurgen Klopp suggesting he will select a strong side for the Reds’ Europa League opener away at LASK Linz on Thursday, the Dutchman is in line for an immediate return to the Liverpool starting XI.
And despite being disappointed at missing out on Champions League football last season, the centre-back is determined to do well in Europe’s secondary competition.
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"It’s been very frustrating (being banned) personally, but it also brought me a lot of other good things," Van Dijk told reporters.
"I have really enjoyed the team’s spirit, obviously the results, the way we worked as a squad. "So yeah, everything happens for a reason, that’s how I see it.
And I am back now and I am definitely looking forward to it. I was quite lucky that there were two international breaks in between, otherwise it would have been quite some time for me to play again.
"Obviously we all wanted, before the season ended last year, to be in the Champions League. It’s what we fought for but unfortunately we didn’t deserve it.
"What we deserved is the Europa League and we are going to give it everything we have. We want to give it everything we have and we want to try and win it. But that doesn’t happen overnight. We have to work for it and that starts tomorrow."
With Liverpool winning both their games without the centre-back, either side of the September international break, Van Dijk has found positives watching on from the sidelines.
And the Dutchman is confident the Reds can enjoy a successful season this year as they prepare to get their latest European campaign underway.
"We are working very hard each and every day. That was from the first day of pre-season," he said. "New players coming in, young players coming through, different roles for certain players and everyone is getting used to that.
"I see a lot of potential, I see a lot of good things already, and the results have been there. But we take it game by game. That’s always how it has been, also in our successful years.
"We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Each game that we play in each competition is going to be a tough one, tomorrow is the same. It’s an exciting time, it’s a lot of young players, a lot of quality players.
"Especially if you look at the last game, I watched it like all of you guys from the sideline, the first half was not how we all wanted to perform. But the reaction that we showed, that is a sign of good things that could happen this year.
"The way we played, the way we stayed calm and kept doing our principles. That’s something I really enjoyed to see as well, and I think everyone at the club. It is a good foundation to build on and we just have to keep going.
"There will be a lot of tough moments during this whole season and we have to be ready to face them. We are looking good but we are only in September. Nothing is decided, nothing is proven, but it’s a good start."