Andy Robertson has named the only Liverpool player in Jurgen Klopp’s squad who can match Virgil van Dijk for pace – and it’s a surprise.
From Sadio Mane to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Mo Salah, Liverpool boast some very pacey players at the moment.
But Robertson has revealed on Instagram that the two quickest are central defenders.
The Scotland international, an £8 million signing by the Reds in 2017, has said that the wingers like Salah and Mane haven’t got a ‘chance’ of beating Van Dijk or centre-back partner Joe Gomez in a foot race, while quipping that Trent Alexander-Arnold is ‘nowhere near’ the pair in terms of speed.
He said, when asked which player would win a 100m dash: “I am going to go for….Virgil van Dijk. It would be between the two centre-halves, Virgil and Joey. Don’t think the wingers would have a chance. Hendo would love to put his name in the mix, so would Trent. Nowhere near it. It’s a race between the two quick centre-halves.”
This is good news and bad news for Liverpool.
On one hand, of course Klopp will be delighted that two of his best centre-backs are the quickest in the side.
On the other, both are injured – Van Dijk won’t play again until next season – and over time their absences could be felt a lot more.
Liverpool, who won their first Premier League title in July, are behind top-of-the-table Tottenham on goal difference.
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