Delighted Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez make long-awaited Liverpool returns

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Virgil van Dijk expressed his gratitude after making a profitable return to motion after long-term harm in Liverpool’s pleasant defeat to Hertha Berlin in Austria.

The 30-year-old Liverpool captain stepped off the bench for the ultimate 20 minutes in Innsbruck alongside fellow substitute Joe Gomez who was additionally making his return following a protracted harm lay-off.

Holland defender Van Dijk and Gomez have been absent for many of final season attributable to knee accidents as Liverpool misplaced their Premier League crown to Manchester Metropolis.

Van Dijk mentioned on Twitter: “285 days in the past, I began on a journey again in direction of enjoying. It’s exhausting to precise how I’m feeling, however it’s vital to me that I say I really feel blessed to have had the help of so many unbelievable individuals.

“The surgeon, my physios, coaches and workers who’ve been with me in my nook since day one. My teammates for giving me vitality and holding my head up. The followers for his or her love, help and encouragement.

“And most of all, my household as a result of with out them, I’d be nothing. Thanks. The work doesn’t cease now. It’s solely simply beginning. We hold going!”

Van Dijk additionally tweeted an image of an excerpt from the bible – Isaiah’s ‘path of the righteous’.

The centre-half had surgical procedure in November after damaging an anterior cruciate ligament in Liverpool’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Merseyside rivals Everton in October.

Gomez has additionally recovered from knee surgical procedure, to restore a tendon, which he broken whereas coaching for England earlier than their pleasant towards the Republic of Eire in November.

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk (left) and Joe Gomez have each returned to motion after harm (Martin Rickett/PA)

(PA Archive)

Bundesliga facet Hertha led 2-0 after 31 minutes by Argentina midfielder Santiago Ascacibar and Suat Serdar’s superb end earlier than Liverpool hit again to revive parity at half-time.

Kostas Tsimikas crossed for Sadio Mane to transform from shut vary and Takumi Minamino brilliantly back-heeled the equaliser after good work from Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita.

Liverpool substitute, 16-year-old Kaide Gordon, twice went shut for the Reds earlier than Hertha regained the lead by Stevan Jovetic.

Jovetic ran clear to slip dwelling Hertha’s fourth purpose and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 88th-minute volley made it 4-3.

The defeat was Liverpool’s first in pre-season following two 1-1 attracts in mini-matches towards Wacker Innsbruck and Stuttgart and final Friday’s 1-0 win towards Mainz.

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