Wayne Rooney has a slightly different take on the argument that Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool’s captain colossus and arguably the finest centre-half in world football – can consider himself fortunate to play in the modern age.
Countless observers over the years have suggested that Virgil van Dijk stands out head and shoulders above most because, quite simply, centre-forwards are not what they were
In an era where inverted wingers tend to battle it out for Golden Boots and classic number nines are harder to come by, would Liverpool’s evergreen £75 million giant have made life look so easy in the days of Didier Drogba, Ruud van Nistelrooy and co?
Or would this Rolls Royce of a footballer have suffered a few punctured tyres?
Well, former Manchester United, Everton and England talisman Wayne Rooney sees things from a rather different perspective
Rooney agrees that Van Dijk remains the best defender in the world. He has some kind words to say about the oft-underrated Ibrahima Konate too. But does Van Dijk actually stand out so much because of the lack of truly world-class central defenders, rather than an absence of elite centre-forwards
Wayne Rooney explains why Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk stands out
Rooney came up against the one-time Celtic and Southampton man late in his Premier League career.
He has no doubts that, if you smuggled him into a time machine and set the coordinates for 2003, the Dutchman would have few problems adapting to a more physical, direct style of football even if the channel-running of Beto gave Van Dijk a few headaches in April’s Merseyside derby.
I played [against Van Dijk],” Rooney begins. “I flip that [argument] and think the defenders are nowhere near good enough [compared to in the past].
“Van Dijk is brilliant. I think Konate has been brilliant as well. But I think the majority of defenders are nowhere near as good as what they were.”
Rooney wonders how Van Dijk would cope in a different Premier League era
Rooney, who scored 208 Premier League goals in a 16-year career at the top-level, does agree however that Van Dijk is rarely tested in the manner of, say, central defenders playing a couple of decades past.
“The game now has gone more positional. Its a lot slower. I think theres less running tan 15 years ago,” Rooney adds, the Pep-ification of modern football ensuring that strikers like Beto are increasingly seldom-seen.
“The number nines are more to feet, there are no players running behind, challenging.
“Look at the [Merseyside] derby when Beto ran in behind. He caused big problems because they are probably not used to players running in behind. I think, for defenders, it is a little bit easier the way the game has gone. I don’t think they are getting challenged anywhere near [as much as they should
“If I was playing against Van Dijk, normally I would have a [Carlos] Tevez or a Luis Saha or a van Nistelrooy alongside me. The first thing you want to do is put a tackle in on them, or when the ball goes to the full-back that is is your opportunity to go and leave one one them! That part of the game has gone
“Van Dijk is certainly more than good enough to go and play at that time. He’s probably the best centre-back in the world. [But] it’s different. The culture of the game has changed a lot since Pep [Guardiola] has come in.”
Van Dijk – and Liverpool – can secure their second Premier League title on Sunday with a win at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Rooney’s former Old Trafford teammate Gary Neville is predicting a 4-1 Liverpool thrashing of Spurs, welcoming the trophy back to Merseyside in style