Best Players in Premier League: Power Ranking May 2019 - Fraser, Mane enter, Aubameyang climbing

#2 Virgil van Dijk – Score: 27.6 (+1)

Virgil Van Dijk's stats mark him out as the Premier League's best defender

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk might’ve missed out on a Premier League winner’s medal last week as his side were pipped to the post by Manchester City, but the Dutch defender still swept up some big individual awards this season, being named the PFA Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season too. It should come as no surprise then that he’s second in this month’s rankings.

Van Dijk has been simply imperious all season, and you honestly can’t fault him in any areas really. He’s scored 4 goals and made 2 assists, a decent return for a defender, but it’s obviously in his specialist area that he really exceeds. The Dutchman has made 38 tackles and 40 interceptions this season, but he’s also made a ridiculous 199 clearances and 18 blocks – both more than double his nearest rival (Matt Doherty) on this list.

Throw in a seemingly unbeatable aerial presence – he wins an average of 4.8 duels per game, again the highest in these rankings by far – and the fact that he’s committed just 12 fouls all season and has only been booked once, and we’re probably looking at the best central defender on the planet right now. Attackers usually get more plaudits than defensive players, but that isn’t the case when it comes to van Dijk – and there’s no doubt that his praise has been earned.