Alan Stubbs may be an Evertonian through and through but he is full of respect for Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk
He may be a former Everton favourite and Blue through and through, but that hasn’t stopped Alan Stubbs from saying something that every Liverpool supporter would agree with. And it concerns captain Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk has been transformational for Liverpool following his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018. During his time at the club, the Reds have won every major trophy.
Now captain after the departure of Jordan Henderson, the 33-year-old will be out to add to his silverware collection this season under fellow Dutchman and new head coach Arne Slot.
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And Van Dijk will undoubtedly be leading from the front. Long regarded as one of the world’s greatest centre-backs, the Netherlands skipper is arguably playing as well as he has ever done in his seven years at Anfield.
And while there are some pretenders to his throne in the Premier League, Stubbs has no doubt that the Reds star remains the top defender in the English top-flight.
“Virgil is a Rolls Royce of a centre back,” said Stubbs to BestBettingSites.com. “He ticks all the boxes in everything that you want from a modern-day centre back. He’s quick, he’s strong. He reads the game well, he’s very comfortable on the ball, and he’s a leader.
“I don’t see a huge amount of leaders in the game right now, and I think Virgil is certainly up there with the most authoritative players in the Premier League in terms of leadership skills.
“You see that from the way he holds himself on the pitch. He’s always dictating, he’s always pointing. He’s always getting players switched on.
“He plays with a confidence and gravitas that world-class players have, and he’s earned that respect over the years from his fellow professionals.
“He’s the type of defender that lives rent free in the mind of a striker before the whistle even blows because of his amazing ability. He’s a centre-back with fantastic qualities.”
So if Van Dijk is his best centre-back in the Premier League, who does Stubbs see as being his biggest rivals for the crown?
“After Virgil, it would have to be William Saliba and Gabriel at Arsenal,” said the 53-year-old, who made 181 appearances for Everton.
“They have formed the best centre-back pairing in the league and they love keeping clean sheets. They’re the backbone of Arsenal’s team and are one of the reasons why I’ve tipped them to win the title this season.”
Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson agrees with Stubbs about Van Dijk. “There’s still nobody better, quite honestly,” Lawrenson told the ECHO. “He is the best there is around. He influences so many people on the team. We hear always that he’s great in the dressing room, and his standard this season has probably gone up a little bit if anything.
“He would be the easiest one to tie down to a new contract. After all, where is he going to go? Van Dijk can’t be at any better place than where he is at the moment. He runs the dressing room alongside a few others like Alisson Becker.
“If you’re the manager and you watch your team go out every game and see him play, not just with his playing ability but also how he can circle the wagons when needed, he does half the job for you.”
