Vincent Kompany has explained why he believes Virgil van Dijk is the greatest ever defender in Premier League history.
The four-time Premier League winner hailed the current Liverpool centre-back as the best he has seen in the top-flight last year, even though he had come up against the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand during his City days.
But Van Dijk, who helped Liverpool reach a Champions League final within six months of joining them before helping them go one step further a year later, has been instrumental in his side’s rise to the top.
And while Van Dijk is yet to claim a Premier League winner's medal, Kompany still thinks Van Dijk is the greatest centre-back and has hailed the impact he has made at Anfield.
"The reason why I said it is because Liverpool were a great team before Virgil van Dijk arrived,” he told BBC's Football Focus.
"Yet they were always vulnerable. I never felt that supremacy that they showed this year.
"It's very difficult to have a player that has such a big impact at a big club.
"He has brought back old-school defending with a modern twist - and I respect that.
"What he does is simple but it's so effective. It's such an art which I respect."
