Virgil van Dijk’s Liverpool contract situation was one of the key issues discussed by Dave Davis and Lewis Steele on the latest episode of Anfield Index’s Media Matters.

With Van Dijk in the final year of his current deal, the Liverpool captain’s future is now among the decisions facing sporting director Julian Ward. Current reporting also confirms that Van Dijk has yet to discuss a new contract with Liverpool, while the defender has said there is “nothing to report” on his situation.

Dave Davis raised the issue while discussing the work facing Ward following his return to Liverpool.

He pointed out that Van Dijk is in the final year of his deal and argued that, regardless of age, the centre-back should remain high on Ward’s list of priorities.

The podcast transcript records Davis describing Van Dijk as a “world-class center back” and saying he “should be right up there on Julian Ward’s docket as well.”

Steele agreed that the situation deserves attention, particularly given how little Van Dijk’s level has changed over the past couple of seasons.

Steele acknowledged that Van Dijk may have lost some pace, but did not see a major decline in his performances.

“His level has stayed pretty consistent,” Steele said during the discussion. He added that Van Dijk remains among the leading centre-backs in the Premier League and pointed to his status as Liverpool captain.