Brazilian superstar Neymar has hailed Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk as being a ‘strong and intelligent’ defender.
Speaking to DAZN Canada, Neymar said he hates playing against the Liverpool man.
Playing against Van Dijk is tough because as a centre-back, he’s so strong and intelligent,” said the PSG forward. “He knows when it’s the right time to close you down and when to go in for a tackle. That makes it harder. He’s intelligent. It’s harder to play against intelligent centre-backs. They don’t make mistakes.”
Neymar had previously been asked to name the most difficult defender he’s played against in his career. Overlooking Van Dijk, the 30-year-old opted for Manchester City’s Kyle Walker.
Van Dijk still a reference point
It’s nice to hear one of world football’s most high-profile names talking about a Liverpool player in such a fashion.
Van Dijk is currently having a pretty rough time of it this season. As a result, it’s good to be given a reminder of just how highly he’s rated.
Of course, this isn’t news to any Liverpool fan. Despite his current struggles, the Dutchman has been the best centre-back in the world for some time now.
Liverpool’s no.4 has even been in the conversation for the best defender of all-time. There are some who would scoff at this, especially given his recent form, but it’s probably fair to throw him into the discussion.
That is the opposite of the player we’ve become accustomed to seeing in a Liverpool shirt. But unfortunately, it continues the trend of displays we’ve seen from Van Dijk this season.
Fingers crossed the current break between fixtures will give him the time he needs to get back to being the player Neymar describes here.
