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When Virgil van Dijk arrived at Liverpool in January 2018, he didn’t just improve their defence. He helped change the trajectory of the club. From title challengers to Premier League champions. From Champions League finalists to European champions. Domestic cups were a welcomed addition. Then came another league title. Through it all, the man at the heart of the defence remained the same. But the man beside him kept changing. Dejan Lovren was there at the beginning. Then came the Matip-Gomez partnership, with the two rotating alongside Van Dijk and playing a huge part in Liverpool’s most successful years under Jürgen Klopp. In 2021, Ibrahima Konaté arrived and eventually became Van Dijk’s most familiar partner of recent seasons. Jarell Quansah was another to benefit from having Van Dijk beside him. For a young centre-back learning the game, there could hardly be a better player to learn from. Now, Konaté has moved on to Real Madrid, Jérémy Jacquet looks to be the long-term successor, but injury issues have disrupted his pre-season. Giovanni Leoni is close to returning from an ACL injury. Joe Gomez is also sidelined, prompting Liverpool to bring in Barcelona captain, Ronald Araújo on loan. And then there’s 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who has impressed this summer and most recently lined up alongside Van Dijk. The only problem? He can’t yet play competitive football in England without a work permit. So, as Van Dijk enters his ninth year at Liverpool, the question is familiar. Who plays beside him? Because one thing has remained true through every partnership. Van Dijk has spent almost a decade making the players beside him better, raising the level of every partnership he has formed. The partners have changed. Virgil van Dijk is still here.