Virgil van Dijk has been spotted visiting the Liverpool Museum at Anfield, with the star going back through the history of the famous club at its home ground

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been spending some of his spare time touring the LFC Museum at Anfield, after posting pictures of himself visiting the tribute to the club's history.

The defender has been with the Reds for nearly nine years now and has certainly sealed his place in the club's storied history, serving as a key figure in its rise back to the top under Jurgen Klopp over the past decade.

It's unclear whether that story could be coming to an end in the near future, with Van Dijk's contract expiring next summer and no indication from either party yet on whether an extension is possible or desired in the coming months.

While there may be a time for the 35-year-old to get his own place in the LFC Museum one day, he still has a job to do for this season at least, and perhaps beyond if he can agree to a deal that would bring him up to a decade on Merseyside.

Before then, Van Dijk has taken a tour of the famous stories surrounding the club's history, including some familiar tales from his own playing career with the Reds.

That was because Liverpool recently unveiled a tribute to Klopp for his role at Anfield, marking the 11th anniversary of his joining the club as head coach, and he eventually went on to transform their fortunes.

Items on display include a statue donated by the supporters' union, Spirit of Shankly; the winner's medals from the German coach's time on Merseyside; a pair of boots; his famous hat; his farewell shirt; and a pair of glasses.

It may have been one of many tributes Van Dijk would have seen on his way through the LFC Museum, after he posted an image of the entrance on his own Instagram story.

That was then followed up by a photo of club scarves from opposition teams being hung up during another part of the tour, as the club captain made his way through the displays that showed many of the best stories in the history of a proud club.

Van Dijk will get his own time to shine when his chapter at Liverpool comes to a close, but Andoni Iraola will still be relying on the defender to continue setting the standards in a squad that still needs to get used to a different playing style as part of a wider rebuild to get back to the top.

"I think it's a different era, different times," Van Dijk recently said about the comparisons between Iraola and Klopp. "Under Jurgen, we pressed a lot with shuffling across, we tried to box them in one side, but football has changed.

"So it's different, but what isn't different is the amount of sprints and running and trying to get the ball back as soon as possible. Also we have to be a little bit more direct and that helps again winning the ball high.

"You have to find the right balance because I feel that we can still play through the press, but we can also go direct and at home sometimes you have to. You have to try to create this chaos, second balls, battles, and that's what we still are learning."

Van Dijk knows what it means to win, and he has seen what it takes to get Liverpool to the top. He will be hoping that, in whatever time he has left on Merseyside, he can be part of the building towards success that Iraola is trying to create.