Erling Haaland has lavished praise upon Virgil van Dijk as he named the Liverpool standout the best player he has ever faced.
The 19-year-old striker is the biggest rising star in European football after netting 12 goals in 11 games for Borussia Dortmund after his January move from Salzburg.
It comes after the Leeds-born Norway international was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United before he decided to continue his development in Germany.
And Haaland admits the Liverpool star - who he faced in the Champions League while at Salzburg - is the cream of the crop defensively.
He said: "He is so good. He is powerful, quick, he possesses all the qualities. He is an incredible player."
And the strike sensation broached his own future as addressed what his plan is for the rest of his career.
He added: "I have just arrived. I am very happy here. I want to achieve many things.
"I am only concentrating on that. The stadium here gives me goose bumps, and I feel well here."
But Jessie Marsch. his former boss at Salzburg, believes Haaland's iron-clad mental make-up is what separates him from other rising stars around the world.
He said: "What makes Erling so special is his mentality.
"To start with, he was in the youth World Cup, he scored 9 goals in one game. We gave every one of our players who had international obligations three weeks off before they were supposed to come with us. Erling had six days off and then said 'no, I want to come to camp'.
"Erling came to Salzburg last winter, he played one game in spring, so he had a lot of sitting on the bench. He was so keen to start proving himself, right away I knew this kid had ambition and grind.
"He's fearless, he's competitive, he's got a drive to get better, he's equiped with so many qualities that make him very different and special, along with the ability and pure talent, he'll be fun to watch in the coming years, that's for sure."
