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Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has given his opinion on the greatest defender in Premier League history.
The Premier League Twitter account tweeted the question:
"Who's the best defender in #PL history?"
Enrique, who played 99 times for Liverpool across five seasons, gave an emphatic reply to the question as he replied:
"Is just one name for that one. VVD (Virgil van Dijk)"
Van Dijk arrived at Anfield in 2017 after three successful seasons at Southampton for a then-world-record fee (£75 million) for a defender. He has since gone on to become a crucial part of Jurgen Klopp's side.
The Dutch international has played 181 times for Liverpool. He has reached a level where he is generally regarded as one of the best central-defenders in world football.
The 31-year-old has won every major honor available to him since his arrival at Anfield. He was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2018/19 season and was named Ballon d'Or runner-up in 2019.
Neil Warnock claims he nearly signed Virgil van Dijk years before big-money move to Liverpool
Van Dijk was a highly sought-after defender when he played for Scottish giants Celtic before ultimately moving to Southampton in 2015.
However, speaking to The Mirror, retired manager Neil Warnock claimed that he was offered the opportunity to sign the centre-half for Crystal Palace, but his chief scout informed him that Van Dijk was too slow. Warnock stated:
"The one that got away from me was Virgil van Dijk. I got offered him when I was at Crystal Palace for £5million. But my chief scout said he was too slow and he ended up at Southampton instead! It’s a shame because anything he may lack in pace, he makes up for 10-fold in his ability to read the game."
Warnock was also asked to pick a side capable of winning the Premier League side if he had a limitless budget. The 73-year-old picked Van Dijk in his side, as well as Newcastle defender Dan Burn.
When asked to explain why he'd pick Burn, he said:
"With Dan Burn, I just wanted an English centre-half. Somebody who can defend, a left-footer, somebody who talks well and would work well with Van Dijk. The other option was maybe Ben White. He's better on the ball than Burn but Burn is a better defender, so I went with him. I nearly went with Antonio Rudiger but I opted for Burn."
