Jamie Carragher has claimed Virgil van Dijk is a better centre-back than Erling Haaland is a striker.
Ahead of Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool, Van Dijk admitted that both he and Haaland have caused each other “problems” in their previous meetings.
On Sunday, Haaland had a game to forget, as he took just one shot while having just 22 touches during the game, as per Sofascore.
Jamie Carragher says Virgil van Dijk is a better centre-back than Erling Haaland is a striker
Notably, the £51 million (Guardian) striker was in a footrace with Van Dijk during the contest and while the Liverpool skipper allowed him onto his stronger left foot, he failed to test Kelleher.
Apart from that, the pair did not really have a chance to go toe-to-toe with each other for the majority of the clash.
Jamie Carragher, however, has concluded that Virgil van Dijk is a better centre-half than Erling Haaland is a number nine.
“I was speaking to the lads when the game was going on, he’s up against [Erling] Haaland as well. Haaland’s the best centre-forward in the world. For me, Van Dijk is right up there in terms of centre-backs”, he said on Sky Sports.
“I made a comment there, I don’t know if people might agree, I actually think Virgil van Dijk’s a better centre-back than Erling Haaland is a striker. That’s how highly I rate Virgil van Dijk, I think he’s absolutely outstanding and if you’re thinking about the battle between maybe the best at centre-back and the best centre-forward, Virgil van Dijk came out on top.”
Shows how brilliant Erling Haaland is
While certain City supporters may perhaps be incensed by the comments made by Jamie Carragher about Erling Haaland in comparison to Virgil van Dijk, his opinion can be viewed as a compliment, in all fairness.
The £75 million (The Independent) man is one of the best defenders in Premier League history and at his best, many consider him as arguably the finest centre-half in the 21 century.
The fact that Haaland is even in the same conversation as a player with Van Dijk at just 23 years of age shows how much of a generational talent he is.
After all, Virgil van Dijk is 32.
By the time Haaland reaches the former Southampton defender’s age, he would likely have surpassed him as it is safe to say that the sky is well and truly his limit.