Much as the day will come when Liverpool will need to replace Mo Salah, the idea of doing the same for Virgil van Dijk should fill many with an equal sense of dread.
That said, the coaching team at Anfield will surely be encouraged by the start Jarell Quansah has made to senior life and the possibilities presented.
Whilst 14 games at the top level (across all competitions) shouldn’t firm up the idea that the 20-year-old is the Dutchman’s regen, there are some encouraging signs.
The Athletic, for instance, points to the youngster’s aerial dominance – a staggering 3.62 per 90 for aerials won (94th percentile of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues, according to FBref).
To put this into context, he’s not far off from Liverpool’s starting left-sided centre-back, currently on 4.11 aerials won per 90 (98th percentile).
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Could Jarell Quansah seriously replace Virgil van Dijk?
There’s much to admire about Quansah statistically beyond the eye test.
He’s a calm passer of the ball for one, registering more passes attempted and completed per 90 than our No.4.
Whilst the pair have a comparable rate of progressive passes, we would like to see if the Academy graduate could add Van Dijk’s long-range diagonals to his locker in the coming years.
Being a creative presence, in that regard, in addition to a defensively astute one, could seriously boost hopes around his future.
Not to mention forcing a reconsideration around our long-term succession plans and potentially saving us tens of millions of pounds.
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