Donny van de Beek says Virgil van Dijk is the best defender in the world and that he’s happy his national teammate is back from injury.
“Yeah. He’s really important for our team,” van de Beek said when asked if he was of the opinion that van Dijk is the best central defender in the world.
“We missed him in the Euros,” the Manchester United star added.
“I’m happy for him that he’s back on the pitch. I know he worked really hard. It’s not easy if you get that injury, but he looks good.”
CIES Football Observatory takes a scientific approach in estimating a footballer’s value and they believe the Dutchman’s current market value stands at around €40million.
However, after signing a new contract with Liverpool which will see him remain at the club until 2025, I imagine the club would value the defender at well over €100m especially given his standing as the best centre half in the world.
Liverpool are going to need him to remain fit for the entirety of the season to keep their hopes of winning the Premier League alive.
With the Dutchman fit, the Reds are a force to be reckoned with. He is genuinely so good that he is the difference between Liverpool taking the title race to the wire or finishing in fourth.
The 6ft4 centre back has looked a bit slow at the start of the campaign which is to be expected after such a serious injury but as the season develops, we should see him return to the heights he was at before his ACL rupture.
It’s difficult to say whether he will be the same player because ACL tears affect the way players move so much but van Dijk has looked as though he just needs match fitness.
Fortunately, a large portion of his game relies more on awareness and positioning than his physical attributes and as he showed against Romelu Lukau, his strength is certainly not up for debate.
