Arsenal of England’s Nigerian-born winger, Noni Madueke has confessed that he always finds it difficult to beat Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk when he faces him during any match.
Sports247 reports that Madueke went on to rate The Reds’ captain as the toughest opponent he has come up against, because he’s so big and strong.
Madueke also noted that, though Van Dijk will turn 35 years old in July, the Dutch star is still very fast and is leading Liverpool’s side with zeal in a very tough campaign for last season’s champions.
He went on to shower accolades on Van Dijk for the resilience he has shown since arriving at Anfield in January 2018, for what was then a world-record transfer fee for a defender.
This season, Van Dijk has played 4,671 minutes in 52 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, thereby giving him more pitch moments than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
English Premier League analysts are unanimous in their verdict that the Dutchman is still formidable and difficult to beat, which Madueke noted while picking Van Dijk as the toughest defender he has come up against.
Madueke eulogised Van Dijk gleefully, saying: “He’s just so big and fast. So, it’s difficult to get in behind him. Playing against players like that is good competition.
“You want to test yourself against the best. That’s the mindset you have to have going into a game. It’s football at the highest level so it’s definitely fun to test yourself against those types of players.”
