Jurgen Klopp has sent Virgil van Dijk warning about leaving Liverpool which another player ignored

Virgil van Dijk has been warned about the implications of leaving Liverpool.

Following Klopp's shock announcement last Friday that he was leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, Van Dijk was asked whether he saw himself being part of the club’s next era.

At the time, the Liverpool captain appeared to give a non-committal response to the Times, claiming: "That's a big question. I don't know."

Van Dijk has been a talismanic figure at Liverpool since his transfer to the Reds in 2018, helping them to win a Champions League the season after his arrival, as well as the club’s first Premier League title in 30 years in 2020.

And the Dutchman, who has 18 months left on his Reds deal, may look to heed Klopp’s past warning when deciding on his future.

Indeed, Klopp is said to have told former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho in 2018 to stay at Anfield and secure legendary status at the club rather than make a move.

When the Brazilian was trying to engineer a transfer away from Merseyside, the Mirror claimed Klopp told Coutinho: "Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour.

"Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more."

Coutinho subsequently moved to Barcelona in a deal worth up to £142million. While he won two La Liga titles with the club, he struggled to locate his best form and saw his standing in the game diminish.

Van Dijk, however, insisted that he remains committed to Liverpool. Clarifying his comments in an interview with Sky Germany, the 32-year-old said: "It is much taken out of context.

"To be 100 per cent clear, I am fully committed to the club. I love the club, I love the fans. It is fully taken out of context.

"It is not about me, it is not about I, it is about us, nothing has changed. Five days ago we weren't even speaking about my contract, so it's a bit silly. My full focus is on making sure this year is a very special year.

Coutinho struggled to make an impact at Barcelona (Getty)

"It was obviously a big announcement the last couple of days, it's been a big shock to each one of us connected to the club.

"I have been feeling exactly what the fans have been feeling in that exact moment. But, we mean business here.

"We want to crack on, we want to achieve the things that we dreamed of at the start of the season. We are in a good position, so let's give it our all.

"But, like I said already in the start, don't get it twisted. I am fully committed to the club and I love it. I love each and every second. I am the captain and we are going to go for it all and let's see how that goes.

"He is just a human being, he is a bit of a father for us as the squad, he has been that steady figure for so many years and it is going to be strange not having him next season.

"But I do not want to speak too much about it because we are still in the mix of it, still focused on things we want to achieve."