Virgil van Dijk makes strong claim over Liverpool partner Ibrahima Konate - 'wasn't as good'
Virgil van Dijk believes Ibrahima Konate is a better player than he was at the same age as he revealed how the Liverpool defender wants to follow in his footsteps. Van Dijk and Konate formed a strong centre-back partnership this season, starting 29 out of 38 Premier League games together as the Reds romped to a record-equalling 20th championship.
Konate, who turned 26 at the weekend, has now made 132 appearances for Liverpool having arrived from RB Leipzig for £36million back in the summer of 2021.
Van Dijk was six months older when he signed for Liverpool in January 2018 after which he has gone on to cement his position as a club legend and skipper the side to their latest title triumph.
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And the 33-year-old has revealed how Konate is now keen to assume the same leadership qualities.
'Ibou is a good friend and an excellent defender," said Van Dijk. "He's fast, strong and he wants to become a leader.
'He's getting there because he's improving. I think he's had his best season since he arrived.
"As your career progresses, you understand better how your body adapts to different situations. In any case, when I was his age, I wasn't as good as him.'
Konate is approaching the final 12 months of his current contract at Liverpool and addressed his future over the weekend.
But when asked if the Frenchman was the best centre-back he'd played alongside at Liverpool, Van Dijk added: 'I wouldn't say he's the best (yet), because I played at Liverpool alongside Joe Gomez, with whom I also formed a great partnership at the back."
Van Dijk was speaking to L'Equipe at the weekend in a long, wide-ranging interview looking at the Liverpool's Premier League title-winning campaign and his time at Anfield.
The Holland international was also asked for his opinion on who will prevail in Saturday's Champions League final, with Paris Saint-Germain - who eliminated the Reds in the round of 16 - taking on Inter Milan.
'PSG favourites? No, I don't think so," said Van Dijk. "I played against PSG recently and they made a strong impression on me.
'But as for Inter, I've played against them in the past and I know two of their players well, my compatriots Denzel Dumfries and Stefan De Vrij. Perhaps Inter have a little more experience than PSG, given that they recently played in the Champions League final (in 2023 against Manchester City).'
Van Dijk added: 'I was very impressed by PSG's style of play, the individual quality of their players and the effort they showed. It was quite surprising that we won after they had dominated us, but these things happen in football.'In the return match, we could have scored in the first 20 minutes, which would have changed the course of the match. In the end, the game was quite balanced and it went to penalties.'
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