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Former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew has opened up on what it was like to play alongside Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk earlier in the Dutchman's career.
Van Dijk has since established himself as one of the best center-backs of all time in the Premier League, but it was in Scotland that he took the next step early in his career, joining from Groningen at the age of 21.
"Best player I ever played with? I played center-half with Van Dijk," Mulgrew said on talkSPORT. "I compared Van Dijk like, you know, in FIFA, where you make your own player and you make him all 20s? That’s what Van Dijk was.
"He was the most skilful. He was the quickest. He was the best in the air. He was the strongest.
"I remember I had the ball in training one day, and I tried to kind of dribble past him, and he started laughing at me. It was the most demoralising thing that’s ever happened to my career. I felt about five years old."
While Van Dijk has rightly been lauded for his performances for Liverpool since arriving from Southampton in January 2018, he has found plaudits more difficult to come by in the Netherlands.
The Dutch outlet De Telegraaf awarded 7/10 ratings to both Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch as the Netherlands beat Malta in World Cup qualifying earlier this week.
It said the former played a "key role" in the win as he scored twice from the penalty spot. The article also described Gravenberch as being "by far the best midfielder for the Dutch team".
However, Van Dijk was given a 6/10 rating. He supposedly made a "near-fatal error" in the first half, and was also criticized for showing "too little initiative".
Jeremie Frimpong, meanwhile, was given a 5/10 rating. "He doesn't have a great cross and is far too hasty for a winger," the report read. "After a good move, he often doesn't know how to follow it up."
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After the international break, Liverpool will take on Manchester United in the Premier League. Van Dijk is confident that the Reds can turn their recent form around after three successive defeats.
"It is a bit ironic that we concede in two different games in the last minute," Van Dijk told reporters at Stamford Bridge last week.
"There is still plenty of work to do. We know in football, every three or four days, things can change and momentum can change.
"But we have to work to get there first. The seven, eight days have been tough for all of us but we are the ones, together with the staff and the fans, who can turn this around. I'm confident of that."
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