He is an icon – Virgil van Dijk leads tributes to departing boss Jurgen Klopp

Anfield will bid farewell to their manager on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will bid farewell to Anfield on Sunday (Peter Byrne/PA)

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admits he will be forever grateful to “icon” Jurgen Klopp for helping shape his successful career.

The Netherlands international was singled out by Klopp as the man he wanted to build his defence around in the summer of 2017 but, after a bungled transfer bid which eventually cost the club an additional £10million as he became the world’s most expensive defender for £75million, he eventually joined six months later.