Virgil van Dijk has been speaking about the reasons he chose the Reds over both Manchester City and Chelsea when he signed for Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 – and there are plenty of them.
The Dutch defender has proven himself to be the very best defender in the world over the previous few months, and from the moment that Jurgen Klopp made his interest clear, Van Dijk knew it was at Anfield that he wanted to play.
Speaking to Goal, he explained: “I made the decision based on many things. My [gut] feeling is always the most important thing, and the feeling I got from [Liverpool] was very good from the first second I heard they were interested.
“Other clubs were interested as well but Liverpool were the strongest in multiple factors, whether it was the coach, the players, the whole system we play, the fans, the culture of the club, the whole feeling that everyone has here, and the way we plan towards the future as well.”
Not that long ago, it would have been hard to believe the Reds could keep so many clean sheets. They are now undoubtedly the best defensive unit in the country and it is impossible to imagine the team lining up without the potential Ballon d’Or winner.
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Whether it’s alongside Joel Matip, Joe Gomez or Dejan Lovren, Van Dijk improves all of those around him and Klopp’s side can now be relied on to win big games.