Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has hailed Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as the player he has been the most impressed with so far this season.
He believes that the Reds have looked “solid” since the mainstay arrived from Southampton in January last year, and the Dutchman has quickly established himself as a regular first teamer under boss Jurgen Klopp.
Carragher adds that Liverpool’s opponents do not see a flaw in their back line compared to what they have experienced before, noting that Van Dijk has been a game changer in the side.
“Virgil van Dijk,” he said on Sky Sports‘ website when asked who has blown him away the most this season for the Reds.
“I think Liverpool look really solid, and they have since he came in. Opposition teams now look at Liverpool and they don’t see that weakness defensively they’ve seen before in Klopp’s team.”
OPINION
Virgil Van Dijk has been on the receiving end of praise for quite some time, and it does not look to be ending any time soon if Carragher’s verdict is anything to go by. However, that does not really come as a surprise, does it? He has been mightily impressive and it is rather difficult to fault anything that he has done since he arrived from the South Coast. There is no doubt that teams, especially strikers, fear coming up against him due to his height and his strength as a player. Most would opt for an attacking player when asked who has impressed them the most this season – and there is no doubt that Carragher would have picked Mo Salah this time last year – so the fact Van Dijk has been chosen is a true testament to the impact he has made. Like Carragher pointed out, teams do not see that weakness in Liverpool’s defence that they may have seen before – and that is all down to Van Dijk.
