Liverpool star backed to replace Virgil van Dijk as captain – but he may have to wait

Tony Cascarino has thrown his backing behind Dominik Szoboszlai to succeed Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool captain.

Former Premier League striker Cascarino was speaking with Shebahn Aherne on Weekend Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT on Sunday morning to discuss the weekend’s sports so far.

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The pair recapped the action from Saturday’s games and looked ahead to Sunday’s fixtures, which includes Liverpool’s welcome of title challenging Manchester City.

Attention turned to Van Dijk and the Reds captaincy as the former striker was asked for his opinion on an article Martin Lipton penned for the Sun.

“Even without the armband, he has become a leader of Slot’s team, showing why Szoboszlai, 25, has been captain of Hungary since 2022,” Lipton wrote.

“And with Virgil van Dijk perhaps considering a future away from Merseyside this summer, and vice-skipper Andy Robertson seemingly certain to be leaving, Szoboszlai’s standing as Liverpool’s captain-in-waiting, ready to assume that mantle for the best part of the next decade, is stronger than ever.

“In a difficult and challenging campaign, as Slot has struggled to integrate his slate of summer arrivals, Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s true constant. The ultimate performer.”

Szobosz-lying in wait

And when asked whether Szoboszlai would be a good captain when Van Dijk leaves, Cascarino said: “Yeah. I wouldn’t deny it.”

However, the 63-year-old also believes that the midfielder, who is captain for the Hungary national team, will need to bide his time before he takes on the armband.

“I think Van Dijk will be there next year. I don’t see him going,” Cascarino added.

“He’s got another year to go. I’m not convinced that Liverpool want him out. I think they’ll look at a young centre half, whether it’s a loanee or just someone that’s going to come in.

“I think they’ll keep Virgil and he’ll still be captain.”

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Liverpool have already confirmed the signing of youngster Jeremy Jacquet, the 20-year-old viewed as the long-term successor to Van Dijk in defence.

However, the Rennes star, who will join the defending champions in the summer, suffered a serious shoulder injury in their 3-1 defeat at Lens on Saturday night.

After the loss, Rennes boss Habib Beye confirmed that the injury to the defender is a serious one, stating: “For Jeremy, it’s his shoulder, and for Abdelhamid [Ait Boudlal, who was also injured], it’s muscular.

“We’ll have time to see, but it’s definitely quite serious for both of them.”

Liverpool to end City’s title push?

Liverpool round off the weekend’s Premier League games when they host City on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds returned to winning ways with a 4-1 thumping of Newcastle at Anfield last time out, a victory that ended a five-game winless run in the league.

And the defending champions will derail City’s title bid further should they claim a result this afternoon.

City are nine points behind league leaders Arsenal in the Premier League title race after the Gunners eased to a 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.