Jurgen Klopp lavished praise for his star player Virgil van Dijk whom he branded the best central defender in world football following his return to action after a gruesome season-ending injury last campaign.
Van Dijk has been on the sidelines for the majority of the 2020-21 season for Liverpool after a nasty collision with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the derby left him nursing an ACL injury.
The Holland international was back on the teamsheet for Jurgen Klopp on the opening day of the new season against the league’s new boys Norwich City and he has looked phenomenal as ever before.
His partnership with Joel Matip in the heart of the four-man backline has been key to Liverpool’s fortunes so far this season with Klopp’s men on an unbeaten streak and hoping to overcome their upcoming opponents Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
Speaking ahead of the midweek game in the Spanish capital city in his pre-match press conference, Klopp heaped praise on Van Dijk’s ability with the latter termed as the best in his position in the world by the Liverpool boss.
“We mainly had a general idea. The better the players get, the better you can play football. I understand that you are asking about Virgil, because he is an exceptional player – my God, he is the best centre-back in the world for me – but it’s not just because of Virgil’s absence that we couldn’t play the way we wanted last season.
“We also missed Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. We had young centre-backs who did well and we finished third in the league. Sometimes we played the way we wanted to play, but of course your game depends a lot on the players on the pitch. Virgil would help any team in the world. Thank God he’s back.”
