Angelino says Liverpool have an ‘unbelievable’ player in their ranks, he’s ‘very important’

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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has been praised by Angelino, who believes the Reds star is “unbelievable” and “very important” to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The 29-year-old has been a revelation for Liverpool since joining from Southampton in January 2018 for £75million.

In a short space of time, Van Dijk proved essential in transforming a shaky Liverpool defence into a solid, tight-knit unit, the team reaching the Champions League final that summer.

The following season, the Dutchman helped the Reds go all the way in Europe, and in 2020, helped Jurgen Klopp’s side win the Premier League, their first league title since 1990.

Sadly, Van Dijk has been sidelined by an ACL injury since October, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be back before the end of the season.

Liverpool have endured a wretched Premier League season without Van Dijk and several other key players, but they have a good chance of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Reds face Angelino’s RB Leipzig on Wednesday, boasting a 2-0 lead from the first leg, and speaking ahead of the game, the full-back couldn’t sing Van Dijk’s praises highly enough.

“Obviously, he (Van Dijk) was very important for them at the back,” Angelino told Sky Sports. “He was so strong. In the end, they don’t have many changes. They have their very strong eleven.

“They did not win the Champions League and the Premier League for nothing. You cannot be perfect all the time but they have an unbelievable team, great qualities.

“Great quality up front and when they have Van Dijk at the back, he is unbelievable.

“But every team has their ups and their downs. They can beat anyone when they have their day and everybody is fit so you just have to be very focused and stick to the plan.

“Individually they have great players and for sure they will compete again and get back to their best. Hopefully not in their next match against us. They can wait a little bit longer.”

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There can be little doubt that Van Dijk is currently one of the best, if not the best, defender in world football, and Angelino is the latest to praise the Liverpool defender.

It’s a shame he’s out long-term but fingers crossed he makes a quick return and swiftly gets back to his best – goodness knows the Reds need him back as soon as possible.