Rio Ferdinand told Vibe with Five that Joel Matip is 'better' than Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool when it comes to passing through the lines.
The Premier League legend went on to say that Liverpool's free agent from 2016 is a "underrated" player.
Matip has been Van Dijk's regular partner this season, despite previously being ahead of Joe Gomez.
Despite this, the Englishman has fallen down the pecking order since his long-term injury, with Ibrahima Konate now challenging Matip for starting spots.
Nonetheless, Ferdinand understands what it takes to play out from the back, as evidenced by his comments about Matip.
"Matip is underappreciated," Ferdinand said. "He's better than Virgil at slipping between the lines." He makes much cleaner passes to the strikers.
"However, Virgil has that big switch (of pace), it's a bad weapon."
Joel Matip of Liverpool celebrates with Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool after his goal was ruled offside during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool on February 27, 2022 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
On Sunday, Matip started Liverpool's League Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley, with Konate coming on as a substitute.
The former RB Leipzig man also took a spot-kick during the dramatic match in the capital, and he did his job just like the rest of his teammates.
There is no doubt that Van Dijk is the main man at the back; the question is who will play alongside him in the long run.
Will it remain one of the greatest free transfers in Premier League history? Who is the new kid on the block? Or Gomez knocking on the door to let everyone know he's still there?
In any case, Liverpool's backline appears to be far superior to where it was this time last year.
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