Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk is the only man in football capable of dealing with the physicality of former Everton and Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku reckons Rio Ferdinand.
Liverpool star Van Dijk is currently having to miss out on the European Championships with the Netherlands who he usually captains as he continues his long road to recovery following an operation on an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee that he picked up following a challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in last October’s 2-2 Merseyside Derby draw at Goodison Park.
Lukaku netted his third goal in three games at the Euros in Monday night’s 2-0 win over Finland that saw Belgium progress to the last 16 with a 100% record from the group stages having previously beaten Russia 3-0 (with Lukaku bagging a brace) and Denmark 2-1.
Now 28, Lukaku, who won the Serie A title with Internzionale last season, has netted a record 63 goals in 96 international matches for his country.
A report in HITC explains how Lukaku toyed with Finland’s defence and they quote Ferdinand as telling BBC Sport that there’s only one other player who can deal with his strength.
He said: “The big thing there is the defender. He (Lukaku) controls the situation.
“The minute the defender touches him and feels him then with his strength and power. He knows where he is.
“He then controls the whole situation. I don’t any defender, apart from Van Dijk, physically who could be able to deal with that.”
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Last year Sheffield United's Oli McBurnie opened up on what it was like to come up against a player of Van Dijk's strength.
The striker told the Sheffield Star: "I bounced off Van Dijk and realised I needed to do a bit of bench press. He had everything and I felt like a little girl against him."
