Leeds United starlet Wilfried Gnonto has lavished praise on to Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk in a recent interview with the Premier League’s official YouTube channel.
The Dutch captain has got a lot of stick for his performances this season, with many even saying that he may be past his brilliant best. Tim Sherwood and Rio Ferdinand have slated the ex-Celtic defender for having declined and that too rather significantly this campaign.
While a lot of the criticism aimed at Virgil Van Dijk has been completely fair, Wilfried Gnonto has said that he still remains a sensational player.
Gnonto raves about Van Dijk in new interview
The Liverpool colossus was widely regarded as the best central defender in the world during his prime between 2018 and 2020, with many going as far as to say that he may have a claim for being the finest centre-back in Premier League history.
However, while Van Dijk has seen a major dip in his displays after making an emphatic return from injury last season, Wilfried Gnonto has still sang his praises.
“I would probably say Van Dijk”, he initially said when asked to pick between him and Manchester City’s Ruben Dias on FIFA when talking to the Premier League.
“I haven’t played against Ruben Dias, so I can’t say [who is better in real life]. I’m lucky. But Van Dijk is incredible. He’s strong, he’s fast as well, good on the ball.”
The Liverpool centre-back remains one of Klopp’s biggest dilemmas
As Wilfried Gnonto said, Virgil van Dijk tends to tick every box and he may still be the most complete centre-back in Europe.
But at 31 years of age and with his showings being undeniably poor for most of the campaign, whether Jurgen Klopp should still count on him or consider phase him out within the next year or two is the question.
However, Gnonto’s statement is a reminder of how much Van Dijk can and does offer, albeit whilst being a lot more fallible nowadays.
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