My Man Utd teammate was different class to Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk | Football
Wes Brown greatly admires Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk but says a centre-back he played with at Manchester United was ‘different class’.
Van Dijk has won a number of collective and individual trophies since joining Liverpool in a £75m deal from Southampton in 2018.
The Netherlands defender became the most expensive defender in history when he moved to Anfield but has more than repaid Liverpool by establishing himself as a club and Premier League legend.
Van Dijk helped Liverpool end their 30-year wait for a league title and was integral to another Premier League title win last season.
The 34-year-old has also lifted the Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup during his impressive spell on Merseyside.
In terms of individual accolades, Van Dijk was named as the PFA Player of the Year in 2019, while he has been included in the PFA Team of the Year on five occasions.
He remains the only defender in history to win the UEFA Player of the Year Award and finished runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in the same year.
While Brown has huge respect for Van Dijk, the ex-England defender insists his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand was ‘different class’.
Ferdinand is considered one of the greatest defenders to ever play for Manchester United and England, having won six Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Having also lifted the Champions League trophy, Ferdinand is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time.
‘I would pick Rio Ferdinand over Virgil van Dijk 100 percent of the time,’ Brown told 10Bet. ‘Of course, I could be being biased, but if you’ve seen Rio you know he’s just different class.
‘Individually he could do everything, and he had such poise that meant he was rarely scrambling around for a slide tackle. He read the game immaculately, had pace, was always in the right position to make his job easier.
Prefer us to the others? Then tell Google!
As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.
Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
‘He won so many trophies to show just how important he was to the great United side. He and [Nemanja] Vidic were the ideal partners for one another.
‘Occasionally you just get partnerships like that which don’t come around too often. The two of them completely made each other work to the best of their abilities, and it spurred Rio on to get even better.
‘If you talk about individuals, then it’s Ferdinand above Van Dijk for me every time, but it’s not by miles. I think Rio was the best defender to play for United, and perhaps in the Premier League.’
Two years ago former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher hailed Van Dijk as the best defender in Premier League history.
Responding to a comment discussing a rare blip in Van Dijk’s career, Carragher said: ‘Virgil is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you forgot his performances against [Fernando] Torres?
‘Rio & John Terry had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.’
Mikael Silvestre was among those to weigh in on the debate that briefly raged over who was a superior defender: Van Dijk or Vidic.
‘I think you can put Nemanja Vidic and Virgil van Dijk in the same category and level,’ the former United and Arsenal said.
‘As a centre-back your main job is to defend. If you look at things such as recoveries, blocks and interception I think they would be similar in terms of numbers.
‘They have a different style of defending. Van Dijk is about anticipating. Vida was better at 1 vs 1’s. Those are the main differences.
‘Otherwise they are both good on the ball and at reading the game. Different styles but both are super effective and very good defenders.
‘Vida at the top of his game, could play for the best teams in the world. Real Madrid, Juventus. He played for Manchester United for many years when they were extremely strong at the back.’
Van Dijk has been nowhere near his best this season for a Liverpool side making a hash of their title defence.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: I was right to snub Tottenham for Chelsea transfer – you cannot compare them
MORE: Four Man Utd players ruled out of Newcastle clash after Bruno Fernandes injury blow
MORE: I was Chelsea’s best academy player – leaving the club has worked out perfectly
My Man Utd teammate was different class to Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk | Football
#Man #Utd #teammate #class #Liverpool #captain #Virgil #van #Dijk #Football
