Virgil van Dijk is already one of the best defenders of his generation, but he has the ability to become an all-time great.
The Dutchman has been a remarkable signing by Liverpool, performing to an immaculate level since arriving in January 2018.
He is now widely regarded as the world’s premier centre-back, with the 28-year-old surely worth at least double the amount (£75 million) the Reds paid Southampton for his services.
Speaking to Football Insider, Danny Mills described Van Dijk as “perfect”, hailing his all-round quality as a footballer:
Van Dijk is perfect.
The set-up that he has, he’s strong, he’s powerful and he’s aggressive, at the right times, and then as a secondary option, he is good on the ball.
But first and foremost, he is good on the ball and people need to get back to the basics if you want to play centre-half at a top-level, and there’s no better example than Virgil van Dijk.
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It is so easy to show recency bias with current players, but Van Dijk really is a special footballer.
Few centre-backs over the past 20 years have found such a dominant level of form and been so influential for both club and country.
He is the man Liverpool supporters fear losing more than anyone else – a long-term injury would be a devastating blow.
If Van Dijk can keep up his current level for the next four or five years – there’s nothing to suggest he can’t – and win trophies along the way, he will go down as one of the best players in history in his position.
That may sound like a bod prediction, but he is that good.
