Milner Says Van Dijk Needs To Be Rotated Since Recovering From Long Injury: He's Not Superman!

JAKARTA - Liverpool needs to carefully time center-back Virgil van Dijk after the Netherlands international is back on the pitch after a long injury, midfielder James Milner said.

A serious knee injury ruled Van Dijk out for most of last season and this year's Euros where the Netherlands were eliminated by the Czech Republic in the last 16.

The Liverpool defender was rested during the Reds' 3-2 win against AC Milan in the Champions League, but the 30-year-old returned to play in his side's 3-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

"We all think Virgo is Superman," Milner said. "But the injury he's had and looks as good as he's been since he came back. You know he's not a 21-year-old player."

“He needs to be looked after too, no matter how angry he is at being left on the bench. He has to be guarded and that is rotation.

"I think the rotation is obviously important. The position we were in last year, we were unlucky with injuries and players had to play out of position. I think it helps things like that."

Liverpool was hit by a series of injuries to key players last season as they finished third and failed to defend their Premier League title.

The Merseyside club, who jointly top the Premier League table this season with Chelsea, travel to Norwich City on Tuesday for their League Cup third-round clash.