Liverpool fans have always had an independent streak.
And now, with the new season a fortnight away, instead of scouring the gossip columns hoping a Kylian Mbappe or an Erling Haaland might join them, they are more concerned about a superstar of their own.
Last night in Berlin, Virgil van Dijk was hoping to “get a few minutes” in a match for the first time since being mugged by Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby last October.
There’s no short-cut with anterior cruciate ligament damage and the giant Dutchman has taken the full nine months to be match-fit again.
He says he’s “feeling confident” and Jurgen Klopp has said “he’s looking really good in training.”
But what is keeping the red half of Merseyside on tenterhooks is whether he will reach the same dizzy heights again.
Being “really good” will not be enough – he has to be the same towering colossus that underpinned their trophy-winning teams of the previous two seasons.
From the moment he arrived in January, 2018 – for a then world record for a defender of £75 million – Liverpool were transformed.
From nearly men to unstoppable trophy winners, their new talisman was not just a massive physical presence, he seemed to play at a different tempo.
The hallmark of a great player is to have that extra fraction of a second yet never appear hurried. Van Dijk had that in spades. He simply bossed the defence – physically and verbally.
His influence rubbed off on the entire team and when complemented by the arrival of goalkeeper Alisson Becker for £65m soon afterwards, Klopp’s side was on its way.
Van Dijk’s loss was just as catastrophic as his arrival had been galvanising.
And when central defensive partner Joe Gomez and then third-choice Joel Matip joined him on the crock’s list, Liverpool were suddenly vulnerable where they had been dominant.
Throughout a tumultuous period with a well-documented 20 different centreback pairings, Kopites have known that the fate of the club and its £75 million defender is inextricably linked.
The operation went well, the prognosis is good and there have been no alarms.
But whether he’ll be as imperious as before is not a given. Anything less would be devastating.
To shore up the rearguard, Liverpool have bought Ibrahima Konate, a France Under 21 international, for £36m, while Matip is back to full fitness.
But it’s the return of the big man that is being anticipated as eagerly as any stellar signing.
Those – despite some fanciful rumours – are way beyond Liverpool’s reach right now. All fans know the club is offloading fringe players to raise money for even modest additions.
So far, £30m has been collected, mainly from Harry Wilson and Marko Grujic, but the target of £100m could be reached if buyers are found for the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Nat Phillips and Divock Origi.
All the above had their days in the sun, most notably Origi whose momentous goals but maddening inconsistency make him more likely to get a statue than a contract.
Even the ever-willing but injury-prone Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be added to that list if the right offer were to come in.
Prior to a stunning 45 minutes in the warm-up against Mainz, Naby Keita may have been on some people’s lists too.
He was one cameo away from being dubbed “Liverpool’s Pogba”.
The club’s third-most expensive player at £53m, the Reds even waited a year for the Guinea midfielder who was supposed to be a box-to-box superstar.
Alas, there have been only flashes – footwork as fancy as the Bolshoi ballet – but precious little else in three injury-ravaged seasons. Instead, he’s become Liverpool’s Sicknote. And yet…
You feel that if only he could stay fit, he could be sensational. And there is a vacancy.
Gini Wijnaldum’s departure has left a sour taste but it is one that has to be filled.
And if the midfielder blamed social media for “not feeling loved”, the club can’t afford another avoidable departure.
It has come as a shock to learn that skipper Jordan Henderson is nowhere near to agreeing a new contract.
For such a dedicated, inspiring leader on the field to be left in this situation is alarming and smacks of more penny-pinching by Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
To lose one midfielder might be unfortunate, but to lose two – the second being the club captain – would be a PR disaster.
Even if the Reds raise the targeted £100m in revenue, they have to be careful how they spend it.
If letting the 30-year-olds and above leave the club is FSG’s way of lowering the age – and the wage bill – it could mean a premature break-up of the greatest team Liverpool have had since Kenny Dalglish was manager.
You can’t imagine Klopp would be happy to see Hendo go. On the contrary, he’d be anything but.
A midfield of Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago was seen only once last season: it looks worth another try with Keita and Curtis Jones in support.
A couple of quality younger recruits – a midfielder and a striker – should be enough for a serious title challenge. Assuming, of course, that Van Dijk comes back to his best.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.