EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk sees his contract with the Reds expire next summer but club icon Graeme Souness believes that he should be rewarded with a new deal at Anfield

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has implored the Reds to hand ‘Rolls Royce’ captain Virgil van Dijk a new deal - and has claimed that Dominik Szoboszlai should shoulder some of the blame for their inconsistent start this season.

Van Dijk, 35, sees his current contract with Liverpool expire next summer and a decision is yet to be made on an extended stay on Merseyside.

But despite now being in the twilight of his career, former Reds star Souness believes that he is only getting better and should be offered a new contract at Anfield.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football ahead of the release of his new book ‘Graeme Souness: My Rangers’, he said: “I think there's still life left in Virgil, but what is he 35 now? I think there's definitely another year left on him.

Make sure you don't miss sport's biggest stories and breaking news by making the Daily Mirror one of your Google preferred sources.

“I mean, people criticized him when he got that terrible injury from the Everton goalkeeper Pickford, but he came back from that and it's a lazy thing to say, he's not the same player. I didn't see that.

“I think [Ibrahima] Konate was a difficult player to be playing with. I see there's still life left in Virgil. I'll be giving him another year anyway with an option to take a second year because he's a Rolls-Royce of a player. And if anything, he's got better the longer he's been at Liverpool.

“I mean that's one. He's a Rolls-Royce. He's always been a Rolls-Royce. But as you get older, your brain should be kicking in and even seeing things earlier.”

Van Dijk has already had a key role to play under new boss Andoni Iraola, albeit Liverpool have endured an inconsistent start to the campaign.

Souness has full confidence that things will eventually work out under the Spaniard, but has concerns over Dominik Szoboszlai’s place in the side.

He added: “I've not seen enough of them. But I do like the manager. I live down in Poole. I've seen Areola work at Bournemouth and he was a fabulous manager or coach there.

“Bournemouth are one of the best teams to watch. High intensity front foot football. And he was responsible for that. He knows what he's doing.

“And why Liverpool made a slow start, I don't know. I think the bits I've seen on television, maybe the intensity when they don't have the ball from their midfield, which in turn makes you vulnerable. It's not just center backs not doing their job or the goalkeeper having a bad game.

“A lot of it can be traced back to the midfield not putting the ball under pressure. When you don't have it, working the players who are in possession to keep their heads down so they can't pick a cute pass against you.

“I think Szoboszlai is a fabulous player with the ball. I just think that area there in midfield is a key. I think if they can keep Isak fit and get Ekitike back, they’ve got goals in the team. I just think the midfield is not the best when they don’t have the ball.”

While Souness is sure that Iraola will get Liverpool shaped into his image sooner rather than later, one man who has already enjoyed success at his current club is former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

Souness has revealed that he was keen to see the ex-England man appointed by former club Rangers after being named on the interviewing panel.

He said: “I was mighty impressed by him. He's had his knocks as a manager and, given he was such a successful player and is financially independent, he still wanted to take on the mad house that exists in the west of Scotland.

“I’ll come back to the fact that if you finish second, you're deemed a failure. And he would have known all that because his wife is from Northern Ireland and I believe the family are Rangers supporters. He would have known that but he's still desperate for that job and I was very impressed by him when I interviewed him.

“It just wasn't my choice. That's the one that was my first choice. They went for Philippe Clement who I think is a very good manager.

“And I think if Philippe Clement had the backing that these Americans are now giving their managers, I think he might still be there. But that's been and gone.”