Vincent Kompany has declared Virgil Van Dijk as Premier League’s best ever centre-back.
Former Manchester City Skipper Vincent Kompany has handed over the Premier League’s best ever centre-back tag to Virgil Van Dijk.
The Dutch International, who signed for Liverpool for the then world-record fee of £75 million, is the current holder of the UEFA Men’s player of the year.
Since signing for the Reds, Jurgen Klopp’s side defensive track record has gone from one of the worst to the best in the Premier League. They conceded the least in the Premier League last season and won the Champions League. This is mainly down to the presence of Virgil Van Dijk, who has changed the fortunes upside down in months.
Prior to Vincent Kompany’s testimonial game, the Belgian was queried about the Premier League’s best ever centre-backs. When the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Vincent Kompany were thrown into the conversation, the centre-back chose Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk.
He said: “I would bring it back to Virgil van Dijk, he’s not been on the scene as long as Terry, Ferdinand who have been around for a long time but the signs he’s shown in the last few years.”
“He’s shown if he had been around longer he’d have been at the top for a long time. The Liverpool before Van Dijk and after are a completely different setup. I’ll give him that one.”
It has been a fantastic time for Virgil Van Dijk, who is the front-runner for the Ballon d’Or. He is likely to defeat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the award if he carries on his tremendous form until the end of the year.
Liverpool are with four victories from four games – sitting top of the pile. Manchester City, who are second, are two points shy off the Reds. It is earlier days, but these two sides are likely to contest for the league title once again.
Vincent Kompany moved back to Anderlecht this summer window. The Belgian was scheduled to play his testimonial this week in the Etihad Stadium will miss out after suffering a hamstring injury.
“I won’t be playing tonight because I’ve got a slight hamstring injury. It’s typical of me, right? I’m usually there for the end of the season. I aim to play in David Silva’s testimonial.” he added.
