The Liverpool centre-back is expected to be out of action for a lengthy period after injuring his knee against Everton
Van Dijk is facing surgery and a battle to return this campaign after being injured in a challenge by Jordan Pickford in Saturday's dramatic Merseyside derby.
The loss of the imperious Dutch centre-half leaves Jurgen Klopp in need of a rethink as he aims to cope without his star defender over the coming months.
But Van Dijk has already highlighted "outstanding" team-mate Fabinho as a player more than capable of stepping into his position.
The former Southampton man was full of praise for Fabinho after his jaw dropping performance against Chelsea, playing as a centre-back.
"Outstanding," Van Dijk said. "I just told him as well I think he was Man of the Match. To keep out a striker like [Timo] Werner and don’t let him score, overall he was outstanding.
"Everyone knows how good he is but it shows also that we need everyone. We are a bit unlucky with the injuries now but we’ll need everyone back because it’s such a long season."