Villarreal defender Pau Torres has said Virgil van Dijk is his role model and that watching the Liverpool defender in action is a 'real education'.
Torres has developed into one of Europe's rising centre-back stars, excelling in recent years for both club and country.
The Spain international has an elegance on the ball that meshes well with his defensive awareness and physicality, so it's no surprise he has been linked with bigger clubs, including Liverpool as well as Manchester United, who face Villareal in the Champions League tonight.
Given the way Torres plays, it's also no shock he holds Van Dijk in such high esteem and when asked about the Reds star, he was effusive in his praise.
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"He is the best centre-back in the world right now," said the Spain international, per the MailOnline. "Because of his physical condition, it doesn't matter if the opponent is fast, he can still leave him space to run and know that he is going to get there.
"You have to watch the best and see how they deal with certain defensive situations. It's interesting to see he handles being outnumbered, because they're a team that play with a lot of people high up the pitch and he has a lot of metres behind him. Seeing how he positions himself against those counter-attacks is a real education."
Van Dijk has been back in the Liverpool team again this term after missing the majority of the previous campaign due to a serious knee injury. Despite the long layoff, he has featured in every minute of the Premier League so far in 2021-22.
In the 2018-19 season, he was crucial in the Reds challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year.
Van Dijk was then a vital cog in the side's success the following year, as they ended their 30-year wait for a league title.
