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Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has had his say on the widely-covered incident involving Everton's Jordan Pickford and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in last month's Merseyside derby.
Pickford collided with Van Dijk, for which many Liverpool supporters called for a penalty in a tight affair at Goodison Park. However, VAR controversially didn't penalize the Everton goalkeeper. It was later confirmed Van Dijk will miss several months through an ACL injury.
Pickford's Manchester City counterpart, Ederson has defended him for the incident and recalled a similar clash with Liverpool's Sadio Mane in the 2017/18 season.
"First and foremost, I don't think any player steps on the pitch looking to injure an opponent. Sometimes you have a fraction of a second to make a decision. Unfortunately, Jordan Pickford had that clash with Van Dijk and it ended up resulting in a serious injury. That's part of football; sometimes it happens. It could happen to any of us.
"I don't think it was Pickford's intention to injure Van Dijk and in the same way I don't think it was Mane's intention to do that when he clashed with me in our game a few years ago. You have such a short time to make a decision and it could happen to any of us.”
Although it isn't ever nice to see a fellow professional suffer such a devastating injury for a footballer, Manchester City may be thankful for Van Dijk's absence when they face Liverpool on Sunday.
Manchester City face Liverpool in a huge match on Sunday
Jurgen Klopp's side visit the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in what many are considering as a six-pointer in the Premier League title race.
The two clubs are widely thought to be the frontrunners for this season's crown after battling it out at the league summit throughout the last two campaigns.
Liverpool's central defense has been weakened with the absence of Van Dijk, so it's an area Manchester City can certainly look to target.
It's set to be a fascinating battle in Manchester on Sunday afternoon, having the potential to go either way.
