Rio Ferdinand told Match of the Day that Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk, is the one who can deal with the ‘physicality’ of Romelu Lukaku.
Belgium recorded a 2-0 win over Finland at Euro 2020 on Monday, with Lukaku scoring his third goal of the tournament, and with it, being joint top-scorer.
It is a crying shame that Liverpool’s star man isn’t at the tournament because it would have been interesting to see him up against players of Lukaku’s ilk.
But after the Inter man toyed with Finland’s defence yesterday, Ferdinand thinks there’s only one defender who can deal with such brute strength.
“The big thing there is the defender,” said Ferdinand. “He controls the situation.
“The minute the defender touches him (Lukaku) and feels him then with his strength and power. He knows where he is.
“He then controls the whole situation. I don’t any defender, apart from Van Dijk, physically who could be able to deal with that.”
Lukaku has been one of the star’s of the tournament, as the ex-Manchester United player has bagged three goals from his opening three matches.
He is joint top-scorer at Euro 2020, so far, along with a number of other names, including a certain Gini Wijnaldum.
At Liverpool, the now-PSG player may have been used in a more defensive role by Jurgen Klopp.
But the shackles are released on international duty for Wijnaldum, as he is showcasing his old goalscoring days of Newcastle for his country.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
