Virgil van Dijk's actions towards Alexander Isak away from cameras sum up Liverpool captain

Alexander Isak joined Liverpool from Newcastle United during the summer, but he has only managed to score once for his new club so far this season

Virgil van Dijk has reportedly been offering support to Alexander Isak following his move to Liverpool. Isak made the move to Merseyside from Newcastle United on transfer deadline day in a deal worth £125m.

The forward joined Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni, Armin Pesci and Freddie Woodman in making the move to Anfield as Arne Slot oversaw an almost complete overhaul of the attack that won the title last season.

But despite a prolific campaign for the Magpies last season, Isak is yet to score in the Premier League or Champions League. His only goal for the Reds came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

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And according to a report by The Athletic, Reds captain Van Dijk has been showing his true class by being particularly supportive in terms of offering advice to the forward.

The revelation comes after the Dutchman was accused of piling in on Milos Kerkez following Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

One moment that summed up Liverpool’s afternoon against Ruben Amorim’s side came in the second-half when an attempted clearance from Van Dijk smacked off the face of Kerkez and went over the bar.

The centre-back appeared to have a go at his team-mate, and former Premier League midfielder Craig Burley took aim at him for his reaction.

“Virgil van Dijk, to me, is not leading at the moment. He’s blaming,” he told ESPN FC. “Kerkez is having a bad time, there’s no doubt about it.

“He’s getting swallowed up by the pressure of going in with these big players in this huge football club with these big expectations, but I don’t think it helps when your captain’s looking at him every two minutes and blaming him or digging him out.

“Even at the end, the clearance that comes off Kerkez’s face. What’s he supposed to do? He’s tucking in behind Van Dijk.

“Van Dijk’s turning around and he’s gesturing to him. The crowd see it and I just don’t think that helps the situation.”

While speaking earlier this month, Dutch great Marco van Basten claimed Van Dijk is not a leader. He said: “I think Van Dijk should be the leader. He should set a good example and be the driving force.

"I miss that in him. I find his mentality easy. He’s a fantastic player, perhaps the best defender we have in the world. He can head the ball, is quick, tall, and has a good overview.

“He’s just not the leader who drives the team forward. That would be very beneficial for the team. I hope Arne Slot can teach him that.”

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