Virgil van Dijk has been a revelation since joining Liverpool - much to the relief of the club.

It was an enormous gamble to take. Spending a world-record fee of £75million on any defender would be, let alone one from Southampton.

Van Dijk has now been at the club for a year, although that's six months less than the original plan, with Liverpool having to wait after upsetting the Saints with their pursuit.

It's been a hell of a year, though, kicking off with a late winner from Van Dijk to knock Everton out of the cup.

Many probably felt like the fee had been justified there and then but he's certainly brought even more to the table.

Van Dijk was a huge part of Liverpool's progression to the Champions League final last season and he's been arguably their star player as they top the Premier League this year.

You only need to look at their defensive record this season to see the difference he's made; Liverpool have gone from being a trainwreck at the back to being the best in the country.

It seems strange to think that there were nerves about the fee, even if they were entirely justified, but even Van Dijk himself needed reassuring.

The Dutchman has revealed how Jurgen Klopp did just that in one simple sentence.

“I remember talking to the manager about the transfer fee ­Liverpool paid for me and he just said, ‘Listen, all good things cost a lot of money’," said Van Dijk, according to the Mirror. "I thought it was a great thing to come out with and it shows why Jurgen Klopp was one of the main ­reasons I came to this club.

It's easy to see why that would have relaxed the defender and Van Dijk heaped praise on his boss's style.

“I remember meeting the boss for the first time," he said. "We had a really good talk and he just gave me the right confidence.

“There is something about Klopp that makes him stand out. It’s not just his energy, I think it's his man-management.

“Klopp makes you feel great. He is genuinely pleased to see you in the morning and that has a big effect on the players who come in."

It certainly does have an impact on new players. There may be no manager around who gets so much out of each of his players - the way Klopp handled Van Dijk's fee is a shining example of that.