Matt Le Tissier has gushed over “unbelievable” Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and insisted he is so good he “looks like a man playing in boy’s football”.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Debate podcast on Monday night (4:48), the Southampton legend delivered his verdict on the centre-back signed from his former club in January for a club-record £75million.
“He is an unbelievable footballer,” Le Tissier said. “I said it when he was at Southampton. He’s one of the few players I’ve watched in the Premier League who looks like a man playing in boy’s football.
“You never saw him hurried, he’s always in the right position, you barely saw him sprint in a football match, which I have a lot of respect for. He’s made such a difference to their backline.
“I can’t see too many centre-backs better than him in world football.”
OPINION
If you could build a centre-back from scratch, he would look like and play like Van Dijk. He is the full package, who makes the art of defending look ridiculously easy. Dominant in the air, brilliant on the ground, quick enough to keep up with the blisteringly-fast Kylian Mbappe in a foot race, technically outstanding, and cool as a cucumber that has spent the week in an ice box, the giant Dutchman has the lot. Liverpool have had some outstanding defenders in their history, but it is a measure of the impact made by Van Dijk in the last 12 months that he is being talked about as better than club legend Jamie Carragher, and perhaps the only rival to Alan Hansen in terms of the greatest to wear the red jersey. Le Tissier knew all about Van Dijk’s capabilities after watching him so closely at Southampton, but even he is in full and total admiration of the way the centre-back has settled at Anfield.