Vincent Kompany has named the Liverpool player who is actually very rare in the game due to the fact that he appears to have so few weaknesses.
Liverpool’s recent form should not take away from how good they have been for the majority of the season, with Jurgen Klopp’s men, at one stage, seemingly sizing up a quadruple.
Unfortunately, the Reds are only going to end up with the Carabao Cup, but that day at Wembley will largely be remembered for the colossal performance of Virgil van Dijk.
The Liverpool captain scored the only goal against Chelsea, and led a team which had been decimated by injuries to what seemed like an unlikely triumph.
Vincent Kompany lauds Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk
That performance certainly reminded everyone why van Dijk has to be considered one of the greatest centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen.
Of course, another in that category is Vincent Kompany. And when he was asked by Sky Sports to put together a seven-a-side team made up of some of the modern greats, the Burnley boss suggested that he would want van Dijk alongside him at the back.
“I’d have to play with Virgil, yeah I think we would’ve been a good pairing,” he said.
“Now, I couldn’t play with him, because I’d have to do all the running, but the younger version of him when he could’ve done the running for me.
“His understanding of the game, and obviously he’s able to back it up with the execution as well, but his understanding of the game, his leadership, his all-round profile as a defender I really think that it’s very rare, to have very few weaknesses.”
Defender’s arrival a game-changer in Liverpool’s recent history
Danny Murphy suggested that it is more important for Liverpool that they ensure that Virgil van Dijk stays rather than Mohamed Salah. And you can understand why.
Obviously, van Dijk is gradually approaching the final years of his career at the very highest level, and he is past his peak at this stage.
However, securing his signature was a real game-changer for Liverpool, who were showing potential before his arrival, but lacked the quality in their defensive unit to take that next step.
Signing Alisson Becker and van Dijk took Liverpool to that next level, and he remains one of the very best defenders in the league.