Virgil van Dijk raves about Jarell Quansah after display vs Burnley

Virgil van Dijk has showered Jarell Quansah in praise after the youngster's display for Liverpool against Burnley on Boxing Day. The Reds have a special talent here.

Virgil van Dijk took time after Liverpool's 2-0 win over Burnley to praise his centre-back partner on the day. Injuries essentially forced Jurgen Klopp's hand for the starting XI, meaning a start for Jarell Quansah.

The 20-year-old was nowhere near the starting XI last season but here he was getting another nod from Klopp in the Premier League. And it's an opportunity Quansah took.

His performance prompted Van Dijk to single him out for praise when talking to Amazon Prime after the game.

"Jarell Quansah is a fantastic talent and up-and-coming," he said. "From the moment he made his debut he's been improving.

"It's nice to see. I really like that and if I can help him, I will. I'm very pleased for him."

So just how good was he?

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Quansah's standout stat here was that he won a monstrous nine headers on the day. That was more than double any other player on the pitch, other than Van Dijk (7). In fact, Liverpool as a team won 27 total headers, meaning the young centre-back had a third of them.

That will certainly impress Klopp as it has Van Dijk. But what might excite the boss more is Quansah's passing.

He completed 95 on the day, level with Van Dijk as a match-high and 20 more than anyone else. He did that with an 87 per cent completion rate, too.

All in all, Quansah put in an assured, controlled, nigh-on dominant performance. It's still remarkable to see given he's only been a senior footballer for about six months.

And at 20, what's the limit here? Quansah seems to have it all and it sounds as though Van Dijk is determined to help him achieve that incredible potential.