Use your head like Sadio and subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Virgil van Dijk feels settled at Liverpool – but is confident he is just getting started under Jurgen Klopp.

Van Dijk has posted a series of impressive displays since completing a club record £75million move from Southampton in January.

With the 26-year-old at the heart of defence, the Reds have now kept six clean sheets in their last nine games to cement their place in the top four and progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Van Dijk was sidelined for almost eight months last year by an ankle injury that brought a premature end to his last campaign.

And while declaring he is suffering no lingering effects, the Holland international has intimated he is still not quite fully 100%.

“Do I feel settled in now? Yeah, definitely,” said Van Dijk. “Quicker than I might have thought? I don't know.

“Obviously you come here with expectations and you want to play as soon as possible and as much as possible this season and be as fit as possible and quick as possible.

“Now, I'm getting better and better and the understanding with all of the players is getting much better. I'm just playing my game and trying to help my team.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“What per cent am I now? That's difficult. But I'm completely over the ankle problems, definitely. That was already the case when I started playing again at Southampton.

“It's more than that, it's also just condition-wise and the way Liverpool play you need to be spot on. That's pretty clear right now.”

Liverpool's victory over Watford has strengthened their grip on a top-four place, moving them up to third and opening up a seven-point lead on fifth-placed Chelsea.

The Reds are competing on two fronts and face a Champions League quarter-final showdown against runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City next month.

“Everybody knows that anyone we get is going to be very hard,” Van Dijk said. "Man City is a very good team, very hard to play against and we need to be 100% or even better to beat them over two games.

“We can prepare for that when the time comes.”

First up for Van Dijk, though, is international duty, with Holland facing England in a friendly in Amsterdam on Friday before taking on Portugal in Switzerland two days later.

“It's a big period for us as a country, we have been in transition, we have a new manager, and it's going to be totally different now and I'm looking forward to meeting up with the guys,” said the defender.

poll loading Do you want to see Dejan Lovren partnering Virgil van Dijk next season? 11000+ VOTES SO FAR YES: They can forge an effective partnership NO: He's had enough chances to prove his worth

“We play England as well, so it's going to be good.”

Asked about rumours Koeman attempted to sign him when in charge at Everton, Van Dijk replied with a smile: “That's something I'm not going to answer!”