Former Manchester City star Vincent Kompany has named Virgil van Dijk as the best centre-back he's seen in the Premier League ahead of the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018, becoming the world's most expensive defender at the time in the process.
He has since helped establish the Reds backline as one of the best in the world, helping guide the team to a Champions League final win over Tottenham in June.
And while there have been players that have dominated for longer periods of time, Kompany says there are none that have changed a team quite like Van Dijk who, for Kompany's money, is the best centre-back the league has ever seen.
"I would bring it back to Virgil van Dijk, he’s not been on the scene as long as Terry, Ferdinand who have been around for a long time but the signs he’s shown in the last few years," Kompany said ahead of his testimonial with Manchester City.
"He's shown if he had been around longer he’d have been at the top for a long time. The Liverpool before Van Dijk and after are a completely different setup. I’ll give him that one."
Van Dijk has made a total of 78 appearances for Liverpool, having scored eight goals during his time at Anfield.
In 2018-19, Van Dijk's first full season with the club, Liverpool conceded just 22 goals, the best in the Premier League, having conceded 46 and 42 in the two years prior.
The Dutch defender's performances have earned him recognition in the form of a number of awards, having been named UEFA Men's Player of the Year ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi last month.
Van Dijk is also expected to battle the Juventus star and Barcelona legend for this year's Ballon d'Or, with the Liverpool defender listed as the favourite for the time being.
This season, Liverpool have conceded just three goals in four matches to start the Premier League season, with Van Dijk featuring in all four of those matches.
Next up for the Reds is a match against Newcastle this Saturday following the conclusion of the international break, which has seen Van Dijk's Netherlands team beat Germany and Estonia.
After that, Liverpool will then focus on the Champions League as the club looks to start their title defence against Napoli.
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