Liverpool are preparing to welcome back the players they sent on international duty over the coming days ahead of Saturday's clash against Brighton.
One player who may have something to prove from the recent Nations League matches is Virgil van Dijk. While he scored in the Netherlands' win over Belgium on Sunday, Van Dijk came in for fierce criticism for his performances for the Oranje.
The slamming of Van Dijk comes as Declan Rice hailed Liverpool target Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid dealt the Reds a blow in the race to sign the midfielder. Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest Liverpool news.
Van Dijk's "weird" defending blasted
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has been slammed by Netherlands footballing legend Marco van Basten. The icon's criticism of the centre-back comes in the wake of wins over Belgium and Poland, which helped Holland secure their place in the Nations League finals.
Van Dijk played all 90 minutes of both games, even scoring the winner against Belgium on Sunday. But Van Basten, who earned 58 caps and won Euro 1988 with the Oranje was less than impressed with the Reds star.
Instead of praising him, the legendary striker instead branded him as the weakest of the three starting centre-backs in Louis van Gaal's side. In particular, Van Basten criticised Van Dijk for his "weird" playing style.
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Rice hails Bellingham
Image:
Getty Images)West Ham United captain Declan Rice has hailed Liverpool target Jude Bellingham. The Borussia Dortmund star impressed for England during their Nations League matches against Italy and Germany.
He is expected to depart Dortmund at the end of the season, having become one of the world's highest-rated midfielders. And Rice has added his voice to the many pundits who have praised the 19-year-old.
“I don't think I've seen anyone as good as he is for 19. I look at a lot of 19 year-olds, whether it's at a club, around the world, around the country. To have the whole package is a hard thing … and I feel like he's got that," Rice said.
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Real Madrid move ahead in transfer race
But Liverpool are facing a major challenge for the signature of Bellingham from Real Madrid. The La Liga giants are continuing to rebuild their midfield options having already brought in Edouardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Bellingham is the next name on their shortlist of targets following his impressive performances for Dortmund and England. It is though that they are now 'confident' of securing the 19-year-old, ahead of Liverpool.
The Reds have been considered the frontrunners for his signature for some time. But Los Blancos are now ready to throw up a major obstacle to Liverpool's plans and are growing in confidence that they will win the race.
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