There is an irony that among Jürgen Klopp’s first public comments on the signing of Virgil van Dijk was a plea for Liverpool supporters to forget the price tag of almost £75 million, making him the most expensive defender in the world.

After all, that was the same advice Anfield’s powerbrokers have been offering Klopp throughout the lengthy, at times complex, pursuit of the centre back. This is not normally how the Liverpool manager likes to do business. Throughout Klopp’s managerial career he has sided with nurture over nature, the idea that developing talent can be as useful as going out and buying ready-made solutions.

The deal for Van Dijk, 26, is new ground for Liverpool, obliterating their transfer record, which stood at the £36.9