Southampton will host Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the Premier League at St Mary’s on Friday night.
Southampton’s Jan Bednarek has labelled Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk the best in the world ahead of Friday’s Premier League clash at St Mary’s, while speaking to NBC Sports.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid a world record £75 million fee to sign the giant Dutchman from Southampton in January 2018, as reported by the Telegraph, but no one in their right mind would dare to question Van Dijk’s price tag these days.
The former Celtic and Groningen ace has made a huge impact at Anfield, not only adding some much needed star quality in a shaky back line but transforming Jurgen Klopp’s side into genuine Premier League title challengers.
And Bednarek, who spent six months alongside Van Dijk on the South Coast, cannot speak highly enough of his former team-mate while admitting that he watches clips of the 27-year-old in an attempt to follow in his footsteps.
“He is, at the moment, the best centre-back in the world,” said the Poland international.
“He’s really good in the air, really quick, really good with the ball so I think he deserves this position. He is a top player and watching him improves your game as well.
“At the moment, when I started to play in this position I watched [Giorgio] Chiellini, I watched [Sergio] Ramos and now it is Van Dijk.”
Bednarek has been an ever-present since Ralph Hasenhuttl took over in December, the former RB Leipzig boss clearly seeing something in a player who had been strangely ostracised by Mark Hughes.
And he will be hoping to outshine Van Dijk as Southampton host Liverpool in their own back yard tonight.
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