Virgil van Dijk: There was only one man for the Liverpool job

The £75 million man Virgil van Dijk received the prestigious PFA Player of the Year accolade and was included in the team of the year.

Liverpool Football Club produces another proud moment in the Jurgen Klopp era. PFA Player of the Year awards in subsequent seasons. The awards evening was filled with Liverpool players after four of the first team made the cut for the team of the year.

Players from Anfield joining the rather large Dutchman, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Andrew Robertson. A quadruple of Reds in the best eleven is almost unheard of. Nevertheless, the run the mighty Reds have been on has only been second to City, or to none even.

This team of the year has brought up loads of debate and concerns about who should have been included and who shouldn’t have been. The bigger debate is the one of whether or not, the defender was the player who rightfully deserved the individual honour. Some think it should have been Eden Hazard (who was a nominee but not in the TofY). Others believe it should have been somebody from Man City like Bernardo Silva.

Truth be told… Bernardo would be the only other player I’d be happy with if he’d won it ahead of Virgil. However, ask yourself, if Bernardo was missing from the Manchester lineup, would he have been missed that much? That’s a big NO from me!

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Reasons why Virgil van Dijk has been the best player in the EPL since joining the Reds

Before he was included as a permanent name on the Liverpool team sheet, the club struggled defensively. He joined back in 2018 during the January transfer window. In the 2017/18 season, the Anfield side conceded a total of 38 goals.

But most of it came afore the arrival of big Virgil. Only 10 goals were let in once he started pulling the strings at the back. What makes this stat even better, he did this in a time Liverpool used Loris Karius as their first choice.

Furthermore, the man helped his then new club to a Champions League Final. After the season concluded Klopp and his men took on the new campaign, a campaign that has seen them rival City for the Premier League title. And van Dijk has been the biggest influence in this push.

A point difference between the two and a major difference in goals conceded. Liverpool has only let in 20 goals in their league push and only have two games left to play. This has helped them become the best defensive team in Europe’s top five leagues.

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1122616956723650562

The Reds are on route to a consecutive Champions League final if they surpass the semifinal hurdle. If this is not enough to convince you this man has singlehandedly transformed a club’s fortune and is deserving of being named the best in the English Premier League, football is not for you.

Probably the most fitting award in recent seasons. If the Reds take the league and Champions League, it will be a massive statement of what a £75 million-rated defender can bring to your club. But that was then, imagine what his worth is now, easily £150-£200 million.