Virgil van Dijk has waxed lyrical to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp about young Dutch central defensive prodigy Matthijs de Ligt, claims an exclusive article by Anfield Edition.
They claim that van Dijk has personally recommended the 18-year-old who recently partnered him at the back in the Netherland’s friendly victory over Portugal.
In all honesty, we’re a little dubious of their sources, but hope they wouldn’t conjure such a claim from thin air, based on nothing at all.
De Ligt is a tremendous talent and definitely the kind of centre-back who’d fit Liverpool’s bill:
- He plays for a club that traditionally sells their best players…
- He has incredible talent and potential to improve under Jurgen Klopp due to his age…
- He has character, personality and drive; already Ajax’s skipper despite being a teenager…
- He is a typically modern defender with excellent passing skills and composure…
Dejan Lovren has actually excelled recently alongside van Dijk, but there’s a suggestion we still need another centre-back in the summer, with the regression of Joel Matip as a long-term option.
Ragnar Klavan is a stable backup but little else, while Joe Gomez has so far only been used as a right-back by Klopp.
De Ligt’s talent and the fact he plays next to van Dijk at international level certainly makes him an interesting option.