According to Jamie Carragher, Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool is not in the same league as Nemanja Vidic, John Terry, or Rio Ferdinand.
No center-back in the history of the Premier League, according to Jamie Carragher, has ever had a greater impact on their team. Virgil van Dijk may have struggled for Liverpool this season.
Carragher defended the Reds center-back on Twitter, asserting that Van Dijk was superior to former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic and has recently displayed abilities comparable to Kevin De Bruyne.
When Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus scored in the first half of Sunday's thrilling 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp's defense left a lot to be desired.
Van Dijk's performances have come under scrutiny frequently this season, with Carragher giving the defender a harsh review after Liverpool's 5-2 Champions League loss to Real Madrid at home in February.
Even if the Dutch international's season has been disappointing, former Reds captain Carragher thinks Van Dijk is the best center defender in the Premier League era.
"VVD [Van Dijk] is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB [centre-back], but have you forgotten [Vidic's] performances against [Liverpool's Fernando] Torres," Carragher replied in response to another tweet that criticized Van Dijk's performance.
"As all players, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry had bad seasons in their careers, and VVD is currently experiencing one. No CB during the PL era ever had the effect on a club like VVD did."
Carragher, who appeared irritated by football fans criticizing Van Dijk, stepped up his defense of the 31-year-old, comparing his influence on the Premier League to that of City's De Bruyne.
The best player in the league, together with KDB [De Bruyne] for four years prior to this season, according to Carragher, "never mind the best CB in the league."
"It demonstrates the level he was at because we have never before mentioned other CBs as the top player."
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