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Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk: £75m price tag 'a big compliment'

Virgil van Dijk has told Sky Sports that his world-record price tag does not make him "nervous" and he considers Liverpool's £75 million spend on him to be a "compliment."

Van Dijk became the world's most expensive defender earlier this month following his long-awaited move from Southampton.

The 26-year-old marked his Liverpool debut with the winning goal in the recent 2-1 win over Everton in the third round of the FA Cup.

In an interview with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, Van Dijk said: "It doesn't make me nervous, it's a big compliment to myself for the hard work I've put in so far, that Liverpool are willing to pay that much money. I can't change anything about that."

Earlier this week, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte admitted he was interested in Van Dijk prior to his move to Anfield, while Manchester City were long-stand admirers.

The centre-back was keen on moving to Liverpool in the summer, but the Merseyside club were forced to publicly withdraw their interest amid tapping-up allegations.

When asked why he chose Liverpool, the Netherlands international said: "I think the size of the club, the fans, the players, the manager, the whole package here is amazing.

"You can see yourself that the atmosphere at every home game is amazing. I'm just very happy to play for the club."