Joe Gomez believes that the arrival of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool will be a big help to his hopes of playing as a centre-back in the long-term future.

The defender has been used at both right-back and centre half during his time with the Reds so far as Jurgen Klopp has put a lot of faith in the 20-year-old to perform on the big stage.

Gomez has cemented himself as a first-team regular at Anfield now and believes that the big money arrival of Van Dijk from Southampton will only help him improve as a central defender and benefit his deveolpment.

He told the Mirror : “It’s great for me personally, because he’s one of the best in the world right now, long term if I want to play there then it’s a great opportunity for me to learn and see what he does.

“He’s got great attributes and that’s something I can look at and see what he does from day to day. That’s one of the great things from being at a club like this, you are around top players like this. He’s a massive presence not just on the pitch, but off it as well.”

Gomez has also praised Liverpool boss Klopp for all the help he provided as the defender was recovering from a cruciate knee injury - saying the German's encouragement over that period will never be forgotten.

"When he (Klopp) came in, I was going through a tough time. He didn’t need to look after me the way he did,” added Gomez.

Show Player

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

“He was always looking after my emotional state rather than talking about where I was at with rehab.

“He has such a good relationship with all of his players, knowing when to talk to you, when to leave you, and he’s been great for me, especially through the tough time I’ve been through. It’s something I’ll always be grateful for.

“Coming here to Liverpool, with the history of playing young players, it was the place to go to if I was to move. They’ve not let me down. I can’t give enough thanks to the manager here, the club and it’s been fantastic for me.”