Virgil van Dijk urges 'patience' as Liverpool rebuild 'new-look' defence

Liverpool have been forced to reshape their backline after the departures of Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson, while Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury in the club's opening pre-season match.

Araujo has joined Liverpool on a season-long loan from Barcelona, while Jacquet arrived after the French defender was signed in February.

Both players featured in Liverpool's 2-0 friendly win over Como at Anfield on Sunday, with Jacquet also getting on the scoresheet.

Van Dijk knows defensive partnerships cannot be built overnight and believes regular matches will be key to helping the new arrivals settle.

"By playing games. I won't say it's the only way, but games are totally different than training," Van Dijk told reporters.

"Obviously, Jeremy's English is, I would say, a bit better than Ronald, but at the end of the day, we are all pretty good footballers and we can see and smell some moments, how to defend certain situations."

The Liverpool captain also stressed the importance of developing an understanding with his new defensive partners.

"It's pretty clear that you need to form a connection together and take a bit of time," he said. "But it's, in my opinion, absolutely normal.

"But hopefully, we can get that going as quickly as possible."

Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League last season and will begin their new campaign away to Newcastle United on August 23.

READ MORE: Sundowns face contract dilemma as Gomolemo Kekana rejects new deal