Andoni Iraola has to let Liverpool legend go, it's over

Andoni Iraola has already made a decent number of changes at Anfield since his arrival.

Some of the performances that Liverpool have put on display have proven how good things could eventually be with the Spaniard at the helm but, for now, the Reds are still trying to figure out what is and isn't working for them as a squad.

Obviously, with the January transfer window now just a couple of months away, some plans need to be put in place about how the Reds are going to rectify some of their main issues.

With this in mind, several players have already been linked with an Anfield switch while others have also been rumoured to be on their way out of Anfield.

And, after Liverpool's most recent outing against Villarreal on Tuesday, it feels like the futures of some players have already been confirmed.

Liverpool must let Virgil van Dijk's contract expire and not extend his deal this summer

Virgil van Dijk has undoubtedly been Liverpool's best defender over the last few years.

However, now that he's 35 years old and will be 36 by the time the 2027-28 season kicks off, some serious thought needs to be put in by Liverpool about whether or not he should be given a new deal.

At the moment, the centre-back is probably the Reds' highest-paid player and, while he's still starting every game, some cracks are starting to show in his performances.

As mentioned, Tuesday's game was a real eye-opener for Liverpool's fanbase as they only just managed to beat Villarreal in a 4-3 win.

And, even though they won, some of their players, including Van Dijk, performed rather poorly.

As per Sofascore, in the 90 minutes that Van Dijk played, he made one error which led to a goal, won zero per cent of the tackles he attempted and made two fouls on Villarreal's men.

The towering Dutchman also only won 60 per cent of the ground duels he attempted and he only made two interceptions.

Van Dijk also lost possession of the ball 11 times and, even though his pass accuracy percentage was strong at 84 per cent, it's clear that he's now longer at the peak of his powers.

Liverpool have so many young defenders who could take Virgil van Dijk's place

Obviously, a Liverpool squad without Van Dijk among it would look extremely weird.

The centre-back has been a regular starter for the Reds since he joined back in 2017 for a then record fee of £70 million.

Most people thought that the Reds had overpaid for the centre-back but, in reality, he was probably one of their best investments ever.

But, now that he's getting on a bit and is starting to make more mistakes, it could be time for Liverpool to move away from their captain and promote someone such as Giovanni Leoni or Ifeanyi Ndukwe to their starting XI.

This would obviously be a huge risk for them to take but, if it worked out, they'd end up with an unreal player on their hands.

Other centre-backs have also been linked with a Liverpool transfer and, even though they'd cost a decent chunk of change to bring in, they could be worthwhile investments, especially if they could, one day, meet the standards that Van Dijk has set in the past.