Former Liverpool star Michael Owen believes that with all of the attacking quality available for Jurgen Klopp, it is a centre-half in Virgil Van Dijk that they cannot do without.
According to Owen, Van Dijk is more important to Liverpool than the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, with the Dutch defender considered to be the most integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s unit.
Big money has been invested by the Merseyside club in piecing together a Premier League title-winning puzzle and Van Dijk remains at the core of it all.
It appeared as though all of the gaps had been filled in the 2019-20 campaign, with the current holders of the Champions League title opening up a 25-point lead at the summit of the Premier League table.
Defensive leaks have been sealed, while graft and guile have been added in the centre of the park along with one of the most fearsome attacking units in world football constructed to lead the line
The likes of Salah, Mane and Firmino have been leading the charge for Klopp’s side, but Owen feels that Netherlands international captain Van Dijk is the most important player at Anfield.
While speaking to ESPN FC Owen said that Liverpool was struggling before they signed their defensive reinforcements and the 28-year-old Van Dijk has been the key ingredient for a title challenge this term,
“Liverpool were probably struggling for a period of time and Jurgen Klopp went: ‘Right, central defence and goalkeeper, they’re the big problem areas for us’. And he went and got possibly the best two players in the world in those places in Alisson and Van Dijk.”
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The 40-year-old Owen then claimed that Van Dijk is the most important player among all the players in the Liverpool squad picking the Dutch centre back ahead of the rest, “Who’s the most important player? The front three get a lot of headlines of course. The two full-backs get a lot of headlines, they’re amazing. Probably the area of the pitch that gets the least headlines is the midfield, the three midfielders. But a lot of people are now starting to think that Jordan Henderson has such a huge influence on that team and I’d have to agree with that. But if you asked me what player, what one player Liverpool are probably most dependent on that they wouldn’t want out for a full season, I would probably say Virgil van Dijk.”
