Manchester United ace Donny van de Beek believes his compatriot and Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk is the best defender in the world.
Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid a massive sum of £75 million to Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018. Having failed to secure his services earlier in the summer, Jurgen Klopp was relentless in pursuing the Dutchman and finally landed the signing.
Liverpool instantly faced the prospect of a Champions League final at the end of that particular season only to lose controversially against Real Madrid. Klopp would get his hands on the trophy next summer and then secured a Premier League crown for Liverpool after a 30-year wait.
While Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been the attacking stars, van Dijk has helped shore up the defence. The Dutch international suffered an unfortunate knee injury early last season that ruled him out for the entire campaign and subsequently missed the Euros.
Another Dutch star who pulled out late with injury and missed the Euros was Donny van de Beek. The former Ajax star signed with Manchester United last season and has found life difficult in the Premier League. However, this season, the Dutch star is hopeful of regular playing time and remains keen on making his mark.
Van de Beek spoke to Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE Podcast recently, and Tribal Football posted some comments from the Dutchman over who he thinks is the best defender in world football. Without a moment’s hesitation, he named Van Dijk as the best defender.
Van de Beek said, “Yeah. He’s really important for our team. We missed him in the Euros. I’m happy for him that he’s back on the pitch. I know he worked really hard. It’s not easy if you get that injury, but he looks good.”
Van Dijk, now 30, has made his successful return from a long term injury and has already helped Liverpool win two of their opening three games, and his impact was predicted by pundits. The centre-back is considered crucial by Klopp as Liverpool aim to challenge for the Premier League title and Champions League success this term.
