Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes the club’s revamped defence will need time to develop a strong understanding, despite praising new arrivals Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet as quality players.

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

The Reds strengthened their defensive options by bringing in Uruguay international Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona. French defender Jeremy Jacquet also joined Liverpool after the club completed an agreement for his transfer earlier in the year.

Both new arrivals featured in Liverpool’s 2-0 pre-season victory over Como at Anfield, with Jacquet scoring on his debut. Araujo came on at half-time and also impressed alongside Van Dijk.

Van Dijk was encouraged by the early signs but stressed that building a reliable defensive partnership requires time and competitive matches.

The Liverpool captain believes the new defenders have the ability to adapt, but developing chemistry on the pitch will be essential as the club prepares for the new Premier League campaign.

Araujo and Jacquet both featured in Liverpool’s 2-0 friendly win over Italian side Como at Anfield on Sunday, with Jacquet also getting on the scoresheet.

Asked how he could develop strong partnerships with his new defensive teammates, experienced Liverpool captain Van Dijk told reporters that regular matches would be key.

“By playing games. I won’t say it’s the only way, but games are totally different than training.”

Van Dijk also highlighted the communication between the new arrivals and the rest of the squad.

“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 Dutch defender acknowledged that building a strong understanding will not happen overnight.

“It’s pretty clear that you need to form a connection together and take a bit of time. But it’s, in my opinion, absolutely normal. But hopefully, we can get that going as quickly as possible.”

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