Virgil van Dijk declared himself ready for a Premier League return after detailing his pride at a new Liverpool contract.
The Dutchman became the latest high-profile Reds star to sign a new deal when he put pen to paper to keep him at the club until 2025 on Friday.
Van Dijk joins Fabinho, Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold as players to have inked new terms this summer alongside the likes of Adrian, Caoimhin Kelleher and Harvey Elliott.
Liverpool's No.4 said he was excited about what the future holds for him on Merseyside after returning from a nine-month lay-off with anterior cruciate ligament damage he suffered in the 2-2 draw with Everton last October.
On his new contract, Van Dijk said: “It is something to be very proud of, that I am very proud of, that my wife and my kids are very proud of and obviously my agency.
“All the hard work we’ve put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I’m delighted, very happy and proud.
“Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club.
“It has been going well; unfortunately last season for me personally has been a season to forget, to learn from and take with me, but I have enjoyed my time here and will keep enjoying it in the next couple of years altogether with all of you.”
Van Dijk returned to the pitch during the Reds' pre-season schedule, playing a part in the defeat to Hertha Berlin before featuring in one of the two hour-long friendlies with Italian side Bologna last week.
He then played around 70 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Athletic Club last Sunday and is now in contention for a competitive comeback at Norwich when Liverpool get their Premier League campaign underway on Saturday evening.
“I feel good. Obviously [they were] friendlies, you get your match fitness up, get into repetitions of doing things again and again," he added to Liverpoolfc.com
“I feel like I am ready for the weekend, so we’ll see what the manager decides. It is going to be a totally different atmosphere and mindset for me personally as well. It is something we fight for, for the points, and hopefully we can get a positive result out of it.
"I think Liverpool is arguably the biggest club in the world, with the best fans in the world, I think.
"So I enjoy playing for this club, I enjoy playing for a family club that is really there for you no matter what and the nice thing I get is that we are all in this together, in the same boat.
"We all want to have success together and we try to do it in the right way too.
"How I feel today [is] as a very important, senior player for the club. It's a fantastic feeling and that is how I feel at home."
