Wilfried Zaha has heaped praised on Virgil van Dijk, even claiming he is better than Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.
Liverpool are currently having to get by without Van Dijk, after a cruciate ligament injury in October likely ended his season.
The 29-year-old has been a colossal figure since joining the Reds three years ago, helping transform the team into Champions League and Premier League winners.
Speaking on the Greatest Game with Jamie Carragher podcast [via HITC], Zaha outlined what makes Van Dijk so special, putting him above Ferdinand in the centre-back pecking order:
He’s fast, calm, strong. He’s got everything.
Obviously Rio [Ferdinand] was just composed to the next level, but I feel like Virgil has everything down to a tee.
Like to the point where he can muck about when a ball comes over the top and flick it around the striker and stuff and he’s fast enough to get back on to it.
I don’t look into defender’s games as much as when I play against him.
When we play against Liverpool it’s like, how am I going to get around this guy?
Read Liverpool Verdict
Zaha is spot on in his assessment, with Van Dijk genuinely a defender without a weakness in his game, with speed, aerial presence, technical quality, positional sense and leadership all coming to the fore.
Losing him for such a long period is a major blow for Liverpool, and while they have largely got by, they don’t look the same team without him.
I think Van Dijk is comfortably the best centre-back in the world, and if he can return from injury and produce a similar level for another four or five years, he could go down as one of the greatest defenders in English football history.
