"One of the best" - Netherlands defender on Liverpool star

Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt has recently been full of praise for Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

The Reds signed the 31-year-old from Southampton for a transfer fee of £76.19 million back in January 2018.

Since then, Van Dijk has made 181 appearances for Liverpool's first-team. The Dutchman has also helped the club win the two biggest trophies in club football - the Champions League and Premier League title.

De Ligt, who plays alongside Van Dijk at international level, believes that his teammate has transformed himself into one of the finest centre-backs in the world.

“We could be (the best centre-back pairing after the World Cup), I don’t know,” he told ESPN (09:41). “That’s not for us to decide or for us to say.

“Plus, we play with three at the back, but I know what you mean. I think Virgil is one of the best centre-backs in the world. He is amazing. He has already shown for a couple of years that he is one of the best, if not the best.

“If we could be the best? I don’t know, the most important thing is that we play good as a team. You can play good as a partnership, but if the whole team is playing bad, then it’s no good.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

Van Dijk is an elite centre-back. It is no real coincidence that Liverpool started to have success once the Dutchman arrived at the club.

Van Dijk has no obvious weakness. The defender is only 31 years of age and he is contracted until the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign.

Therefore, the Anfield faithful will be able to sit back and watch Van Dijk represent the club for at least a few more years.