Pep Lijnders has revealed Virgil van Dijk was demanding more minutes on the field even before he made his long-awaited comeback from injury for Liverpool.
Van Dijk made his first appearance since undergoing knee surgery nine months ago when he was introduced in the 69th minute of the Reds' 4-3 friendly defeat to Hertha Berlin in Austria on Thursday.
The Dutchman was introduced alongside Joe Gomez, who was returning after eight months out having ruptured the patella tendon in his left knee while on international duty with England.
And Liverpool assistant manager Lijnders has explained just how eager Van Dijk was to resume playing.
"The highlight of the game was Virgil and Joe coming back in the team just before the 70th minute," he said. "It must have been so special for them, for sure.
"On my way to the bus, I’d walked with Virgil and he asked about the plan. He knows it, but asked again... he wants more minutes, haha!
"‘The plan? To play a few top passes, to catch a few players with your long legs,’ I told him. I said just enjoy it, try, do your best, because we need doers in our team and that 10 minutes, more or less, isn’t important today.
"He told me it is 285 days since the injury and that his whole family would be watching. Unbelievable, what a moment. I told him it would be great if he leads immediately – he said that comes with the package.
"Hopefully the passes as well, I said. Wow, it’s so good to have him back so close to us. Long may it continue.
"I asked a few of the boys about the game afterwards and they’re all saying it’s a boost for everyone to have Virgil and Joe back."
Liverpool arrived at Evian in France on Saturday for the final leg of their pre-season training camp, with Brazilian trio Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho joining up with the squad on Sunday after a three-week break following their involvement in the Copa America.
With only Jordan Henderson then still to return, Liverpool have taken the decision to send home a number of the youngsters who had featured in the Austria legs of the camp.
And speaking to liverpoolfc.com, Lijnders explained: "With Fabinho, Roberto and Ali arriving, this means that a few our young players go back to the AXA Training Centre while we are travelling to Evian. They made a good impression, on and off the pitch.
"We had a good meeting with them explaining the decision and looking back. They shouldn’t see it as a negative, they are all in different moments of their development, and making place for Roberto, Ali and Fabinho isn’t a shame."
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