Van Dijk voted Player of the Year

Central defender Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool FC was named Player of the Year by the Premier League. This was announced by the English top league on Sunday afternoon.

The 27-year-old’s choice, in which both fans and a selection of experts voted, was won against his teammates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as well as Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) and Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC).

For van Dijk it is the second award within a few weeks. At the end of April, the Dutchman was voted best player in England by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).

As defence chief, the world’s most expensive defender (moved from Southampton to Liverpool in January 2018 for 84 million euros) led the Reds into the Champions League finals for the second time in a row, and can still win the Premier League title with them on the last matchday of the season.

In the current season, he will play 48 compulsory games for the team of coach Jürgen Klopp.