According to ESPN, Liverpool defender Van Dijk praised Jeremy Jacquet and Lucas Araujo's debut performances against Como, while also admitting that the center-back pairing still needs time to gel.

According to ESPN, Liverpool defender Van Dijk praised new summer signings Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo for their excellent debut against Como, but he also admitted that it would take time for the center-back pairing to establish a stable understanding.

Both Jacquet and Araujo played 45 minutes in Liverpool's final preseason match on Sunday afternoon. Jacquet scored the Reds' second goal in their 2-0 victory.

This was Jacquet's first appearance since suffering a dislocated shoulder in February while at Rennes. He performed impressively against Cesc Fabregas's team, and then Araujo, who joined Liverpool last week on a season-long loan from Barcelona, came on as a substitute in the second half.

Van Dijk said after the match: "I think Jacquet played very well, and so did Ronald. It was a good start for them, so hopefully they can keep it up. Building understanding comes from playing. I'm not saying this is the only way, but games and training are completely different."

"Jeremy's English, I think, is a bit better than Ronald's. But at the end of the day, we are all very good players. We can all read certain defensive situations and sniff out opportunities."

"But obviously, you need to build a connection together, and that takes a little bit of time. In my opinion, that's completely normal, but I hope we can get it going as soon as possible."

"As I said, I think Jacquet played well. He looked a bit tired at the end, but that's completely normal for a player who is playing 45 minutes for the first time after such a long time out. Now it's time for him to recover well. We'll be back on the training ground tomorrow morning to prepare for Newcastle. St James' Park is always a tough place to play."

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