Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dismisses Jamie Carragher claim that Virgil van Dijk needs to lose weight

'I am sure Jamie needs to lose a little bit of weight but for Virgil it is not the case,' Klopp said

Jurgen Klopp said Virgil van Dijk's weight is 'not an issue, not at all' (Getty)

Jürgen Klopp has insisted that Virgil van Dijk has no lingering fitness issues, despite Jamie Carragher's claim that Liverpool's new £75m signing needs to lose weight.

Carragher said that the centre-half had not “hit the ground running” since joining from Southampton at the start of the month and that may be due to him being some way from peak physical condition.

Van Dijk has made three appearances for Klopp’s side so far and though he impressed on debut against Everton in the FA Cup third round, he struggled along with many of his team-mates in defeats to Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

The 26-year-old also missed the 4-3 victory over Manchester City through injury and was rotated for Tuesday’s 3-0 win at Huddersfield Town due to “a physical thing”, according to Klopp.

However, when asked for his response to Carragher, the Liverpool manager said: “Nothing. Wow! I am sure Jamie needs to lose a little bit of weight but for Virgil it is not the case.

“He is a big and tall player, that is how it is. We have the best nutrition department and no-one came to me and said we need to work with him.

“Being fit means all of that so you have at the end more muscle than anything else. It is not an issue, not at all.”

Klopp added that he was “very happy” with the way that Van Dijk has settled in since arriving at Anfield, though suggested that Liverpool supporters would only see the best of their new signing once he had time to adapt to a new defensive system.

“It is just exactly as clear as it would be. A few ups and downs and we will see Virgil van Dijk at his best after the summer but we don't have the time to wait until then and why should we? He can bring in a lot of things already,” the Liverpool manager said.

“We've had a lot of talks already but it is quite difficult because our defending style – and I know how this sounds – is different to Southampton or to Holland so that's why it makes so much sense you get used to it.”

Klopp also admitted that Van Dijk was not match fit when he joined, but said this was due to a long-term foot injury sustained while at Southampton last season rather than a weight issue.

“When Virgil came here he was not match fit, that is the truth because he had a long injury, then he played, then he was injured, then the transfer was kind of an open case and he didn't play for Southampton so it was not a consistent season so far.

“I don't know long enough to say 'Yes you can play all three days' in this moment so we had the opportunity with Dejan [Lovren, who started ahead of Van Dijk at Huddersfield] – who was ill before but back in training – so we had two completely fit players.

“That is why they played and Virgil didn't play. I spoke to him and he expected it. He is still a new player but you cannot train in a Premier League match so we need to use the time between the matches and in the matches we have to deliver.”