Martin Keown hailed Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as “perfection personified” following his latest masterclass.
Writing for the Daily Mail, the high-profile pundit drooled over the Dutch defender’s performance as the Merseysiders won 3-1 at Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
“It has been 14 years since Chelsea’s John Terry became the last defender to be crowned PFA Player of the Year,” Keown said. “Van Dijk’s brilliant all-round performance in Germany only underlined why, this season, he can be the next defender to receive this prestigious award from his peers. On Wednesday night, he was perfection personified.
“What sets him apart is that he never thinks, ‘I’m just here to defend.’ Even on an intense, high-stakes night such as this he is always searching for ways he can win the game for his team. He sets an example for every young centre back in the way he is always on the lookout for that killer pass.”
Keown raved about Van Dijk’s sensational, 55-yard pass to Sadio Mane that broke the deadlock in Munich.
“Van Dijk reads the game superbly and knows what Mane is capable of if he can get him in behind,” the pundit added in the Mail. “The forward still had plenty to do and showed sublime skill to score but without Van Dijk’s positive thinking, that chance would not have been created.”
OPINION
Best defender in the world? Van Dijk is so much more than that. He is one of the outstanding players in any position. He is reeling off masterclass after masterclass, while putting barely a foot wrong in any game, against any opponent, despite the stakes being sky-high. Pressure? Van Dijk looks as relaxed as if he was strolling around a suburban park having a kickaround with his mates. He has ice in his veins. Apart from having every possible technical and physical quality you would dream of having in a centre-back – aerial brilliance, blistering speed, awareness, concentration, jawdropping technical ability, superb decision-making – Van Dijk has the most important thing of the lot. The mentality to deliver the goods when it matters. Perfection indeed. Liverpool and Van Dijk came together at the most opportune time. Perfect timing as ever from the magnificent Dutchman.