Virgil van Dijk believes Bradley Barcola is on the verge of a breakthrough following his hat-trick for Liverpool FC. The captain reveals a curious difficulty the new signing is facing.
Has Bradley Barcola, with his first hat-trick for Liverpool FC, gained the decisive boost he needs for his big breakthrough? In the 6–3 Champions League win away at LASK, the French international scored three times, ending his goal drought from his first six appearances for the Reds. Captain Virgil van Dijk is convinced that the goals will have a huge impact on the 24-year-old. After all, he clearly doesn’t yet see him as having fully settled in.
“That’s massive for him,” said van Dijk. “He’s very introverted anyway. He won’t show his emotions too much, but everyone knows that this will help him a great deal. Hopefully there’ll be plenty more hat-tricks to come.”
The Dutchman added: “It’s about creating the environment in which he can express himself on the pitch. As a footballer, you always want to be out there and show what you can do. Scoring goals is a big part of his game. Scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League is a brilliant achievement for him and for us.”
Van Dijk helps Barcola at Liverpool
Barcola joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer for a massive transfer fee of around 125 million euros. With performance-related bonuses of up to around 20 million euros, the total package could rise to around 145 million euros – making him the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history.
Van Dijk, himself once the Reds’ record signing, wants to help the new signing cope with this pressure: “Yes, you can share experiences. It’s about helping each other succeed. We’re in this together. Bradley is settling in better and better now. He’ll be absolutely fine.”
Alongside Barcola, Ronald Araújo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also scored for Liverpool against LASK. Trey Nyoni and Koumas made their first-team debuts in the Champions League, whilst Rio Ngumoha started for the second time. “I’m delighted for them all,” said van Dijk: “Trey, Rio and Lewis work so hard. I was particularly pleased for Lewis about his goal. The recognition for these young lads is absolutely deserved.”