Liverpool knocked Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Glen Johnson has admitted that he ‘didn’t really know what the fuss was about’ prior to Liverpool signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.
The 27-year-old ace moved to Anfield during the 2018 January window, with the Reds, who were struggling defensively at the time, willing to wait until the winter transfer window to sign him after failing to do so during that previous summer.
In the end, as reported by BBC Sport, Van Dijk made a £75 million switch and every penny spent by the Reds has been worthwhile.
Speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (14/03/2019 at 10:10 am), former Premier League right-back, Johnson admitted that he couldn’t understand the hype surrounding the Dutchman prior to his move to Merseyside.
“I was one of them [thinking why Liverpool waited to sign Van Dijk,]” Johnson admitted to talkSPORT. “At the time, I didn’t really know what the fuss was about. But he’s unbelievable.
“As a player, you don’t really want to see people around you panicking and panicking is one thing I have never seen him do. When players see him as calm as he is in any situation, it rubs off and everyone puffs their chest out and has a belief in themselves.”
Many feel Van Dijk has been the main reason behind Liverpool challenging for the Premier League title this season and reaching the last eight of the Champions League.
On Wednesday night, the Reds beat Bayern Munich in Germany to secure their passage into the quarter-finals, with Van Dijk getting on the scoresheet.
Added with that, his presence at the heart of the club’s defence has resulted in Jurgen Klopp’s side conceding only 17 league goals this term – the next best is Manchester City who have shipped 21 goals.
At this moment in time, Liverpool are sitting second in the table, one point behind Pep Guardiola’s City, with a trip to relegation-threatened Fulham awaiting them this Sunday.
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