Gary Neville has lauded the talents of Virgil van Dijk amid a phenomenal season from the Dutchman.
The ex-England international had been asked to name one player he’d like to bring to Manchester United.
“I would say [Virgil] van Dijk. I just think that Van Dijk would bring dominance to the team and a presence in the team that we haven’t got. We haven’t got a forward as good as Mo Salah, but we’ve got talented forwards,” the former Manchester United fullback spoke on The Overlap.
“I always think if you’ve got a spine of strength and presence… We always say, don’t we, ‘Oh, there’s no Roy Keanes anymore, there’s no Vincent Kompanys anymore, there’s no John Terrys’ – there actually is one now at Liverpool, when you think about how he’s performed this season, Van Dijk. He’s a massive presence on that pitch.
“He’s not the same character as some of those that I’ve mentioned, but he actually is quite dominant on the pitch. He speaks a lot more than people might think, and he actually is someone you can see that’s got an aura about him.”
The Dutch international has helped steer Liverpool to the top of the table in what could be a dramatic end to Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield.
FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
Give Van Dijk a new contract
One of the first hurdles a new Liverpool manager will have to clear is our No.4’s expiring contract.
The former Southampton centre-half’s current terms – along with that of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah’s – are set to run out in the summer of 2025.
On current form, however, it would seem daft beyond belief to allow Van Dijk to depart the club in just over a year.
Virgil may be in his 30s but he’s clearly still got a lot to offer in the famous red shirt for years to come.