‘Oh man…’ – Ex-Everton goalkeeper claims one Liverpool player is massively underappreciated

Former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has said that one Liverpool player doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being ‘at the top for so long’.

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Since joining the Reds in 2018, Virgil van Dijk has been a transformative figure at Anfield, almost instantly turning a porous defence into one of the most miserly in Europe and being a central pillar in two Premier League title triumphs and Champions League glory.

Some of the centre-back’s performances this season have been criticised, with Wayne Rooney questioning the leadership qualities of the LFC captain, but the Englishman’s ex-Manchester United teammate believes that the 34-year-old is actually underappreciated.

Howard claims Van Dijk doesn’t ‘get enough credit’

Speaking on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, Howard said of Liverpool’s number 4: “Oh man, it’s so difficult with players like him who don’t get enough credit. When you’re at the top for so long, when you’re the best at anything – he’s been considered the best defender in the world for a number of years.

“You’re playing at a club that’s consistently challenging for European titles, for Premier League titles. Then you go into your national team, which is one of the most famous shirts in the world, and you’re asked to lead that team – you don’t get enough credit. There are not many of those around.”

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Van Dijk has been colossal for Liverpool and Netherlands

Although Van Dijk has perhaps been culpable of more errors than usual this season, it’s frightening to think of where Liverpool would be if they didn’t have the Dutchman’s colossal presence in the team.

He has often been the glue holding together a defence which has been ravaged by major injuries over the past few months, at times mopping up the literal and figurative gaps left by his teammates at the back.

As Howard rightly says, the 34-year-old has been a cornerstone figure for club and country for the best part of a decade, consistently shouldering a huge burden of responsibility at the highest level and delivering world-class performances.

As a former goalkeeper, the American knows the value of having an elite centre-back playing in front of him, and Van Dijk has most certainly been that for Liverpool and Netherlands for the past number of years – hence his inclusion in The Best FIFA Men’s 11 last year.

In a season where it’s seemed fashionable for pundits to take cheap shots at the Reds’ long-serving players, it’s refreshing to hear the ex-Everton and Man United stopper recognising the generational talents of our number 4.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Tottenham Hotspur press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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