Jamaal Lascelles has praised "phenomenal" Gini Wijnaldum - and named the Liverpool star as the best teammate he has ever had.
Lascelles played alongside Wijnaldum at Newcastle United for a season before the midfielder's 2016 move to Anfield.
Since then, the 30-year-old has gone from strength to strength, helping the Reds win both the Premier League and Champions League.
Centre-back Lascelles has now told the Getting Messi podcast that Wijnaldum is the best teammate he's ever had.
"Probably Wijnaldum," said Lascelles. "We got relegated that season but you could just see the difference of quality.
"I mean now he is doing amazing at Liverpool. But as an individual at Newcastle, he was phenomenal.
"Just pure ability. Obviously he was super-fit, strong, he was agile. But just pure ability.
"Dribbling, intelligence, professionalism as well. He just wanted to do better."
As a Premier League defender, Lascelles is well used to coming up against world-class attackers week in, week out.
Yet Lascelles says the intelligence of players at the Reds and rivals Manchester City takes them to an entirely different level over even other top flight talents.
He said: "For me it's the intelligence of the players.
"Most players in the Premier League are fast, strong and sharp, but there's a difference in the intelligence.
"That's what takes teams like Man City and Liverpool to a different level compared to other Premier League teams I've played.
"A striker can be strong, good in the air and fast but the intelligence of someone like David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Mo Salah or Roberto Firmino means they don't even need physical attributes.
"They know their role, they know football."
