‘Sort of arrogance…’ – Virgil van Dijk used to utterly torment one ex-teammate in training
One of Virgil van Dijk’s former teammates has spoken of how the Liverpool captain would leave him feeling tormented due to his exceptional natural ability.
Our number 4 played alongside James Ward-Prowse at Southampton prior to joining the Reds, and the now-West Ham midfielder simply couldn’t believe how effortless he’d make everything look in training and on matchday.
Speaking on Ben Foster’s Fozcast, the 29-year-old quipped: “It’s depressing! When Virgil got to Southampton, you’d be in the gym after lunch, doing your leg weights, trying to get quicker, trying to get stronger – but he just had everything. He’d just be walking to his car with his washbag [and say], ‘See ya lads!’
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“You’re there grafting away, trying to improve yourself, but he just had it all. [Naturally] quick, strong, and when he came to the club, he tried to take a few free-kicks as well, so I thought, ‘Ooh, I’ve got a bit of competition here!’
“He’s just so calm and composed. He never looks rushed. Even when he’s one-on-one with a player, he’s almost giving them the line to say, ‘Go on, you’re not gonna do me here.’ That’s the quality and sort of arrogance he has, and that’s class.”
In a week which has seen Van Dijk come in for fierce criticism from pundits in his native Netherlands after their defeat to Austria at Euro 2024, Ward-Prowse’s insight attests to the Virgil that we’ve grown to adore over the past six-and-a-half years.
The line about VVD almost daring opponents to take him on one-on-one feels especially pertinent. He was dribbled past on only four occasions in 48 appearances last season (WhoScored), and he memorably went 50 Premier League games without being beaten in a dribble from March 2018 to August 2019 (talkSPORT).
While some players mighn’t be blessed with the greatest inherent talent but forge successful careers due to their unparalleled work rate, the Liverpool captain is naturally gifted and has combined that with an elite mentality to become one of the best centre-backs of his generation.
Van Dijk is a player whose presence alone immediately brings a reassurance to the Reds, particularly when flanked by youngsters in defence such as Jarell Quansah, who looked remarkably composed during his first season at senior level for LFC in 2023/24.
Ward-Prowse’s testimony doesn’t surprise us in the slightest given what we’ve seen of the Dutchman at Anfield, and it further underlines his world-class talent despite what the likes of Marco van Basten might say.
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