"He is the best in the world" - Darren Bent praises 30-year-old Red

Pundit Darren Bent has labelled Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk as "world-class".

The Reds signed the Dutchman from Southampton for a hefty transfer fee of €84.65 million back in January 2018. Therefore, there was a bit of pressure on Van Dijk to deliver for Liverpool.

But, the 30-year-old has lived up to the aforementioned price tag. Van Dijk was awarded the PFA Player of the Year for 2018-19.

The defender was also the runner-up for the 2019 Ballon d'Or.

Van Dijk's performances have helped Liverpool win two of the biggest trophies in club football - the UEFA Champions League and Premier League title.

Therefore, we can see why Bent believes that the centre-back has performed to a "world-class" level during his time at Anfield.

"We throw around the world-class tag way too easy these days," the former Tottenham Hotspur forward told talkSPORT (March 29, 9.50am).

"How many world-class players are there in the Premier League? Van Dijk is a world-class defender, he is the best in the world."

Anfield Watch Verdict

As far as we are concerned, Van Dijk will go down as one of the club's greatest ever players.

The impact the Dutchman has had since arriving at Anfield has been unbelievable. It will be a sad day when Van Dijk does eventually leave Liverpool.

We are not guaranteed to see a player of Van Dijk's quality ever again. World-class centre-backs don't grow on trees.

But, Van Dijk's contract does not expire until the summer of 2025. Therefore, the Anfield faithful will be able to sit back and watch the defender represent Liverpool for at least three more years.

In regards to the short-term, hopefully Van Dijk can stay fit for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign and fire Liverpool towards Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup glory.