11 months ago
138 Danny Murphy has shared his choice when asked to pick between Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba as Liverpool prepare to host Arsenal this weekend.
There is surely no doubt at all that Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba are the two best centre-backs in the Premier League. And they are undoubtedly amongst the best in the world.
Of course, the Dutchman was a game-changing signing for Liverpool. Unsurprisingly, Jurgen Klopp believes that van Dijk is the best defender on the planet.
Danny Murphy picks between Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba
But in Saliba, van Dijk has definitely got a rival. It is almost remarkable to think now that the Frenchman went into last season still awaiting his Premier League debut.
Saliba has potentially been the best centre-back in the league since his Arsenal bow. So it is no surprise that Danny Murphy found it almost impossible to pick between the two when asked on The Take On who he would choose.
“Both,” he initially said.
“Van Dijk. It’s close, that. It’s close.”
Arsenal star has got some catching up to do
Saliba deserves enormous credit for rivalling van Dijk so quickly. Admittedly, the 32-year-old did have a couple of tougher years after sustaining a serious injury in 2020.
But he appears to be back to his best again now. And he has proved to be a brilliant captain following the departure of Jordan Henderson in the summer.
It is unfair really, to compare the two centre-backs. Saliba is almost a decade younger, so at a completely different stage of his career.
Van Dijk has obviously achieved more to date, winning almost every honour available to Liverpool.
But then, Van Dijk did not arrive in the Premier League until he was 24. And he was 26 when he moved to Anfield for £75 million.
Saliba does not turn 23 until March, but he is approaching a half-century of appearances in the Premier League.
So it may only be when they have both hung up their boots that we will be able to have a better idea of which player has indeed had the better career.
The post 'It's close': Danny Murphy asked to pick between 22-year-old Arsenal player and £75m Liverpool star appeared first on TBR Football.
