Manchester United great Jaap Stam makes admission about Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk has been hugely influential to Liverpool's recent rise and recently placed second in the Ballon d'Or standings.

Jaap Stam has made a claim not too many Manchester United fans will agree with after saying Virgil van Dijk might be a better defender than he was.

Van Dijk is the most imposing central defender the Netherlands have had since Stam in the 1990s and 2000s and recently placed second in the Ballon d'Or standings for 2019.

Stam was full of praise for Van Dijk as he spoke about the 28-year-old's development from a youngster in the Eredivisie to the best centre-back in world football.

"It's always been talk in Holland and everybody was speaking about, 'we need another defender like Jaap [Stam]'. and eventually, Virgil came out and he started late," Stam told Stadium Astro.

"He didn't grow up in the academy of a PSV or Ajax. He built his own career by starting at smaller teams and eventually going to Scotland as well and then coming into the UK. Then growing and also you need to work for yourself and he did it."

Asked if Van Dijk is as good as he was in his prime, former Manchester United centre-back Stam responded: "Yeah, maybe [he's] even better, I don't know. But Virgil is a presence. That's very important as a football player if you want to play in the highest leagues and the biggest clubs.

"Positioning yourself is very important. In possession but also out of possession because it helps you a lot. You get more time to do things as well and he's doing a fantastic job."