Virgil, let's start with the most obvious question really.
How have the last few weeks been for you, as a professiona footballer
that was preparing for hopefully something very different to the situation we're in now?
Yeah, obviously it's been very surreal, a bit crazy.
We never experienced things like this before,
you see these kinds of things in TV shows or films,
things that you never really come up against.
But the reality is that t's just a crazy time right now
and the main and most important thing is everyone's safety.
You've added some brilliant perspective there,
I suppose the most important question in all of this -
how are the family, everybody's fit and well?
Yeah, as long as we’re together, that’s the most important thing.
Staying home, staying together and being healthy -
that’s the main thing and everyone is coping.
Jordan added some brilliant perspective when I spoke to him the other day as well,
I think we sometimes forget as football fans how much you miss out on
with the pressure of playing, training, preparing,
Christmas doesn't really exist, you don't get that at home to spend with the kids,
so is this, like he was saying, precious time where you get to read with them,
do homework and be an ordinary dad, if you like?
Yeah, 100 per cent.
We are away quite a lot, whether it’s travelling or staying in hotels before games.
We’re not at home a lot and if we’re home
it’s normally the time when the kids are in bed and stuff.
So to be home right now 24/7 with the kids, all together, is precious time.
We definitely enjoy it.
I enjoy it a lot, the kids are enjoying it, everyone is enjoying it.
It all benefits all of us in that case.
Just enjoy it, don’t take anything for granted.
Footballers are creatures of habit though, Virgil,
and you spend so much of your time eating, preparing, training, recovering,
it's two games a week, particularly at this point of the season as well.
So when that habit changes, do you have to change the way you live your life,
not just physically, but mentally as well?
Yeah, obviously it’s totally different.
Your body is feeling different and your mindset of course as well.
This period, together with the Christmas period,
is the busiest and toughest period - mentally as well - of the season.
Now you have no idea what might happen,
you stay at home and relax basically and do other things,
play other games instead of football.
It’s a totally different mindset, first and foremost.
You’re not in the mood to really play football.
Obviously you miss it and want it but there is no other way,
you just have to stay put and wait for the right moment to go out there again.
You have to stay ready though, don't you?
Because although it looks at this moment in time as if there's no end in sight,
people will be back playing Premier League football again.
How does training look and feel for you at the moment?
Because of course you're all doing your own individual programmes,
so are you getting up at a similar time to do your training, or...?
How does it work for you at the moment?
We try to get into that kind of rhythm.
The fitness department tried to set up some sessions
that we can all do together through video call, and I think that’s a good idea,
to stick together again and see each other - see all of each other again.
Apart from that you just do your running
and try to do at least something every day.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we do a harder session
to give your body what it needs, because it can go quickly
if you don’t do anything for quite a while.
You have to be smart and you have to do the right things to keep your body
on a certain level that you can kick on when it starts again.
We've seen the lads using Zoom, you've been doing virtual sessions together,
it was incredible to see the smiles coming back on your faces
when you can all see each other on the camera,
you spend so much time in each other's pockets.
That's been important, we've seen the togetherness that your group of lads has.
Yeah, it was fun, to be fair.
It was a good session and we’re obviously going to have more of them as well.
I definitely need more yoga anyway, so it will benefit me!
But it was good to see each other again.
We had a short meeting with the gaffer as well,
listening to him and what he had to say.
Those kinds of things help as well because everyone is in uncertainty at the moment,
no-one knows what exactly is going to happen.
But those sessions definitely help, so they will definitely continue organising those sessions.
Where does your responsibility in that go as well, Virg,
because you are one of the leaders in that dressing room,
we have very young players in there,
do you feel that responsibility of reaching out maybe privately to one or two players
to check they're OK and coping in these circumstances?
Well, I think these things need to go naturally anyway,
but I definitely speak to certain boys,
like I always do throughout the whole season anyway.
That’s just always the case, and the same goes for me with the national team boys;
I try to keep in touch with them as well because we’re all in the same situation.
I try to get in touch with everyone and see how everyone is.
On a lighter note, I understand that the lads' social media post are being shared
in the WhatsApp group - whose has got the biggest reaction?
No idea!
The group chat is actually pretty lively, everyone is participating properly in it.
It says a lot about our team - everyone is part of it,
no-one is afraid to say something or try to be funny.
Everyone is doing their bit basically
and it’s good to see everyone is participating.
The one thing I'm noticing through all of this is how upbeat you are considering,
we all would surmise that players feel a certain way
but you are an optimistic character anyway, this is really important for you,
adjusting to the unknown, isn't it?
Yeah, the unknown is the difficult part,
I think in this case you have to just be very patient,
do the right thing and stay home.
Stay together with your family and enjoy the moments with your family,
enjoy the moments of being together and make the most of it.
We will all get past this if we all do the right thing.
You have to... I don’t want to say 'take the positives out of this'
because there are too many negatives of it still;
there are so many people dying and it’s horrible.
But there are things that you have to take from it.
Be sensible, do the right thing and stay home.
Think about each other because you don’t only help yourself by staying at home,
you help each other as well, that’s the main thing.
Just follow the rules,
follow the restrictions that have been put out
by the governments in each country in the world.
That’s the only way we come past this -
and we will, I’m not doubting that at all.
Just tell us as well, because you don't get the chance
to reflect much throughout the season,
it's so ruthless, isn't it, the stop-start nature of games.
But have you watched any games back from the season so far whilst at home,
or is watching football not something you feel you can do at the moment?
I don’t watch too much football, to be fair.
Especially from this season I didn’t watch any particular game back, if I’m honest.
I don’t know why, it’s just how it is.
I saw only one game back of me when I played one of my first games in Holland,
that was on TV, when I played at right-back.
I couldn’t believe what I was doing at that time!
I watched that game back because I was 18 or 19 at the time
and I didn’t watch that game back since that time.
It was on TV and I watched it back.
Apart from that, I miss watching football and obviously playing football
but it’s a bit of a difficult one, I think.
I didn’t watch any of the Liverpool games this year, I have seen a couple on social media,
some highlights - it’s nice to see and a good feeling to get.
But, apart from that, not really.
A final one, if I may, the same question I asked Jordan a couple of days ago -
a message for the fans, because despite the realism of the situation we're facing
at the moment as a world, they really miss you, they really miss Anfield,
they really miss the feeling of being Liverpool fans at the moment.
What would your message be back to our supporters?
First of all, stay safe, stay at home, do the right thing,
wash your hands, do all the things that the government is saying as well,
which you have heard probably every second of the day,
but do it because it helps everyone.
It helps you but it helps everyone around you as well.
The second thing is that we miss you guys as well,
we miss being out there, we miss working hard every day
and trying to get better and show our qualities to all of you.
Just stay put, wait and see, that’s the only thing we can all do anyway.
The most important thing is to stay safe and look after yourself, your family
and the people that are close to you.