After starting his professional career in Groningen, Breda-born defender Virgil van Dijk moved to Celtic two years later. After experiencing his first taste of foreign soccer and making steady progress in Scotland, he made the step up to Southampton two more years later.
The Dutch center back has enjoyed a successful career and has shown his ability in the Premier League. After rising to become one of the best defenders in England, he was brought to Liverpool in the winter of 2018 and made a spectacular debut, scoring a goal in his very first game.
After suffering a serious injury in the 2020/21 season, he has made a full recovery this season. He has once again built a strong defensive lineup and has rarely conceded more than one goal.
He will be 33 years old next year, and he will be a veteran, so a generational change will have to be considered. In addition to Ibrahima Konate, a regular member of the French national team, there are high expectations for young center backs such as Jarell Quansah, a 20-year-old defender who is beginning to emerge.
“He’s an outstanding defender,”
“He has everything a modern-day footballer needs to be at the absolute top of centre backs. There’s a lot of demands from us. We play with the ball, keep a high line, you need the pace.”
“He’s doing it well. It’s about getting used to playing every three days, looking after your body, managing games and training sessions, and when to do certain things. I speak a lot with him about things. He’s still learning and he can be even better than he is.”
“Same goes with Jarell Quansah,”
“I just look to share my experiences. I’ve been in the game for quite a while now and been quite successful.”
“I try to give that to the young players. These players are even better than I was, but obviously it’s about doing it in the long run. I’m pleased with how he is now but he can be even better, he can progress. It’s nice to see the progression and development.”