Thursday, 17 April 2025
VIRGIL VAN DIJK 'AT RISK' AND NEW LIVERPOOL DEAL COULD BACKFIRE OVER TWO ISSUES, DOCTORS WARNS
EXCLUSIVE: After hailing 'machine' Mo Salah's new contract extension at Anfield, Dr Gareth Nye has raised the alarm over Virgil van Dijk following suit because of two key differences
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| Virgil van Dijk has penned a new two-year deal at Anfield but two key problems could make the deal come unstuck (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images) |
Virgil van Dijk has committed his future to Liverpool with a new contract but will the talismanic leader be the same player he has been in his time with the club so far?
Liverpool’s iconic captain has penned a new two-year deal at Anfield after the 33-year-old’s contract had been due to expire at the end of this season. The Dutchman's extension means he could remain at the club until he is 35, and follows hotly on the heels of fellow senior player Mo Salah, who has also just signed on the dotted line.
But one Liverpool-mad doctor has raised some concerns about van Dijk's injury record and longevity at the top level of football.
Dr Gareth Nye, a biomedical science lecturer at the University of Salford - and Liverpool fan - revealed he had more concern about the defender's new contract, when compared to Salah’s.
He was quick to point out that it was “obviously great news” but warned: “Positionally, van Dijk is at more risk of more serious injuries.”
He said this positional concern, tied in with van Dijk’s injury record, left him worried that there was a bigger chance of the contract extension backfiring on Liverpool.
“The way Liverpool play, van Dijk is high up the pitch and spends a significant amount of time in recovery runs.
“Defenders are significantly more likely to suffer ligament injuries in the knee and ankle and van Dijk has already suffered one serious cruciate ligament injury which sidelined him for nearly nine months.
“Once you have one injury like this there is a higher likelihood of reoccurrence – look at Joe Gomez.”
Despite his fears, Dr Nye still had high hopes, but also warned his recovery times could be longer than Salah, who is a year younger and plays in a position less at risk of critical injuries.
“I hope and believe he will continue to be a solid defender and a key component in the LFC team during his extension however, he is at a significantly higher risk of suffering career-ending injuries than Salah for example and any injury will have a longer recovery time due to his key position.”
Despite this difference, however, Dr Nye also flagged that “most” of what he said following Salah’s contract extension also applied to van Dijk.
During that chat, he told the Star: “The biggest challenge in footballers over 30 is the physical demands it puts on the body.
“For most pro footballers like Mo Salah, he will be playing three games a week for most of the season and in some pinch points like the Christmas season where the turn around is only a few days. With training in between it can be physically stressful on the body.
“You are also competing with younger players who may be naturally fitter or quicker which gives a perception that older players have a natural drop off.
“What we do see is the recovery rates are slower as we age, particularly in muscle. The natural reserve of stem cells used to repair tissue runs out and so muscle injuries mxay appear more often and take longer to heal.”
He added: “Essentially it's very individualistic and depends on the player's body, how they train, recover and heal. A big part of this will be avoiding big injuries.
“Mo Salah though is a machine when it comes to fitness and im sure has a great sports science team around him. There is no reason he can't join the likes of Ronaldo and Messi and the great James Milner and play at the very highest level for a very long time to come.”
PIRELLI REVEAL WHEN BRAND - NEW C6 TYRE WILL MAKE F1 DEBUT
Pirelli has announced that its new C6 tyre is to make its F1 debut in May's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend.
For the 2025 season, a new compound has been added to Pirelli's range of options, with the C6 tyre being a step softer than the current C5 softest.
The new compound has been tested on-track but is yet to make its official grand prix debut, which is to come at Imola across the weekend of May 16th-18th.
Carrying the red-marked soft tyre bands, the C6 will be joined at the Italian circuit by the C5 as the medium tyre and the C4 as the hard.
The C4-C5-C6 range will be the softest Pirelli has brought to any grand prix in the 2025 season thus far, with the Italian firm also confirming that the Sprint weekend in Miami will use the C3-C4-C5 tyres, with the C5 serving as the soft for that weekend.
For this weekend's Bahrain GP, Pirelli has gone for the hardest possible range in its catalogue, with the C1-C2-C3 tyres serving as the hard, medium and softs, respectively.
This is because the Sakhir International Circuit is extremely tough on tyres due to its rough track surface and heavy traction zones.
Pirelli has also promised to be "more proactive" following criticisms of its tyres in the Japanese GP, with minimal wear and degradation leading to a relatively straight-forward one-stop race, largely devoid of overtaking action.
- Jake Nichol
START TIME 2025 F1 SAUDI ARABIAN GP - JEDDAH
We’re approaching the final grand prix of the triple-header: the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Check out the start times for all sessions in Jeddah here.
F1 Saudi Arabian GP start time
We’re gearing up for possibly the most spectacular race of the season: the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On the lightning-fast street circuit in Jeddah, the drivers race at breathtaking speeds, just inches from the wall.
In the past, we’ve witnessed a lot of action on this track, and with three DRS zones, there are plenty of overtaking opportunities. Who will seize the victory in Jeddah?
The 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP weekend takes place from Friday, April 18, to Sunday, April 20, marking the fifth race of the season.
On Friday, the first and second free practice sessions will take place. Saturday’s schedule features the third free practice session, followed by qualifying at 18:00 BST. The race itself kicks off on Sunday, April 20, at 18:00 BST.
- RN 365
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING 3 KILLED IN BOAT ACCIDENT
Three people tragically died in a boating accident at a Major League Fishing event Wednesday, officials announced.
The crash occurred during the second day of the org.'s Tackle Warehouse Invitational -- which was taking place at Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama.
A bass fishing boat collided with another vessel while out on the water, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said, killing three ... and leaving multiple others with injuries.
It's not yet clear what caused the wreck.
58-year-old Joey M. Broom, authorities said, died during the collision. They added 44-year-old John K. Clark and 62-year-old Jeffrey C. Little drowned after they were thrown overboard into the water during the incident.
- TMZ Sports
BUKAYO SAKA REVEALS CHAT WITH ARSENAL LEGEND ON DAY OF FAMOUS REAL MADRID WIN
Gunners winger has also explained his goal celebration that evoked memories of Thierry Henry’s heroics at the Bernabeu
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| ARSENAL HERO: BUKAYO SAKA WAS ONE OF THE STARS OF THE SHOW AS THE GUNNERS BEAT REAL MADRID AGAIN AT THE BERNABEU |
Bukayo Saka has revealed that he spoke to Thierry Henry on the morning of Arsenal’s latest famous victory over Real Madrid, but insists he did not deliberately evoke his famous Bernabeu goal celebration.
Saka set the Gunners on their way to a second successive victory over the current Champions League holders on Wednesday evening, atoning for his early Panenka penalty attempt that was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois as he executed a brilliant lofted finish to put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead on the night and stretch their commanding aggregate lead in the quarter-final tie.
Arsenal eventually won 2-1 in Spain after Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time effort that followed Vinicius Jr quickly responding to Saka’s opener after a blunder from William Saliba, completing an emphatic 5-1 victory overall after Declan Rice had produced two stunning free-kicks to inspire an initial 3-0 first-leg success at the Emirates Stadium last week.
Paris Saint-Germain now stand between them and a place in the Champions League final at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31, after the reigning French champions just snuck past Aston Villa on Tuesday night despite a rousing second-half fightback that saw Unai Emery’s men win 3-2 on the night but go down 5-4 on aggregate.
Barcelona meet Inter Milan in the other semi-final tie after their respective wins over German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern.
Saka was once again one of Arsenal’s star performers against Madrid as he made up for his missed penalty with a superb goal and afterwards revealed that he had spoken to club icon Henry ahead of the game.
Asked on CBS Sports if he planned a post-match FaceTime with the French legend - part of the interview as a pundit - Saka said: "100 per cent. I spoke to him this morning already but if he wants to speak again later, I'm going to be up. I'm not going to sleep tonight, let's be real."
Arsenal are the first English team ever to win twice at the Bernabeu, having become the first ever to do it in the Champions League back in the last 16 of the 2005/06 season, when Henry’s second-half goal sealed a 1-0 first-leg victory in Madrid.
A goalless second-leg draw at Highbury then sent the Gunners through and they later beat Juventus and Villarreal before losing in agonising fashion to Barcelona in their first and only Champions League final appearance to date in Paris.
Saka’s “shushing” reaction after scoring on Wednesday was the same as Henry produced at the Bernabeu 19 years ago, with the England winger posting pictures of the two celebrations side-by-side on Instagram after the game.
And while he certainly appreciated the symmetry, Saka insisted he did not deliberately replicate Henry after his own memorable moment at one of European football’s most iconic venues.
"To be fair, not really,” he said. “I just wanted to have my own moment, but of course Thierry has done the same here and it's nice that we can share this picture. It's nice."
- ADAM DAVY/PA WIRE
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