FC Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp has once again praised central defender Virgil van Dijk in the highest terms and has even promised the Dutchman that he will one day be the best player in the professional game.
“The fact that Lionel Messi is now undisputedly the best player in the world, together with Cristiano Ronaldo, what an era the two have shaped, you just have to say that. A fight on such a high level. But Virgil has what it takes to be the best,” Klopp said in an interview with DAZN before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at FC Barcelona (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker and live on DAZN).
At the same time, the German coach of the Premier League runners-up also asks for patience with regard to the development of the Reds’ defence chief: “It would be quite all right for me if you didn’t put this backpack on him all the time. He’s not that old and still has a lot of time to develop. There’s still a lot to come.”
In addition, the former coach of Borussia Dortmund van Dijk, who moved from Southampton to Melwood at the beginning of 2018, attributed the adjective “outstanding”.
At the age of 27, van Dijk is irreplaceable for Klopp and Co in the Champions League’s defensive line-up of last year’s Champions League finalists. On Wednesday evening, the Dutch international wants to keep the ball down in the premier class semi-final first leg in Barcelona.
In the current 2018/19 season, the central defender has so far finished in 45 competitive games for the Reds. Five hits and four templates were his fault.
