Ronald Araujo arrived on Merseyside in August with plenty of questions trailing behind him. Three months in, Liverpool’s captain has given him a public stamp of approval.

Van Dijk spoke after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton at Anfield on Sunday and singled out the 27-year-old defender’s aggression as the quality that had made the difference, in comments reported by Yahoo Sports.

“He was very aggressive in the right moments, at the right time, and that’s what we need. You see it with the crowd. The Anfield crowd loves it and that energy can transfer to the team.”

The Uruguayan was named man of the match at Anfield and would later pick up the Premier League Player of the Matchweek award.

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From Camp Nou exile to Anfield favourite

Araujo joined Liverpool on a season-long loan in August, with an option worth €55m (£47.1m) to make the move permanent next summer. Liverpool paid no loan fee and the player accepted reduced wages to force the deal through.

Araujo was handed the Barcelona captaincy in January after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s departure, but was told during the summer that he would not be a regular for Hansi Flick this season. His exit gave Andoni Iraola, in his first campaign as Liverpool head coach, a Champions League-tested centre-back for the back four.

Van Dijk added that the dressing room had made the switch easy for his new partner.

“We welcomed him with open arms. We can see his defensive qualities, his presence and his positive mentality.”

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The Dutchman also noted that Araujo was still working on his English but that his quality on the pitch had been obvious from day one.

Liverpool now leaning towards the €55m option

Araujo’s start had already prompted Liverpool to weigh up activating the permanent clause this spring, with the final call expected at the end of the 2026/27 season.

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