Steven Gerrard has named Virgil van Dijk as his favourite defender on the planet right now.
The former Liverpool captain was speaking on the PFA’s YouTube channel about some of the Premier League’s all-time greats as he was tasked with picking a dream five-a-side team.
Gerrard was torn between two options in the defence in his backline – John Terry and Van Dijk, but due to the fact he got to share the pitch with Terry, the Chelsea legend got the nod.
With that being said, Gerrard still gave Van Dijk all sorts of praise, claiming that the Dutchman has transformed Liverpool over the past few years and he’s still his favourite defender on the planet.
Gerrard loves Van Dijk
The Liverpool legend spoke about the 32-year-old.
“I would have to pick John Terry. But obviously, biasedly I would love to pick Big Virg because I think he has transformed Liverpool over the past five or six years and he’s my favourite defender in the world right now, but from personal experience I played with John for England for over 10 years and he’d get into anyone’s XI,” Gerrard said.
“I’m sorry Virg, but I still love you.”
Up there with the best
When crafting your dream Premier League five-a-side team it is tough to leave Van Dijk out.
Yes, the likes of Terry and Rio Ferdinand were fantastic in their day, but it’s hard to remember a defender who was so single-handedly transformative in the same way Van Dijk has been at Liverpool.
Sadly, we didn’t see the best of Van Dijk last season, but after being given the captain’s armband at Anfield, we could well see the Dutch colossus being given a new lease of life on Merseyside this season.
Van Dijk is still Gerrard’s favourite defender, and it’s not hard to understand why.
