Chris Wood says Liverpool actually have the strongest player in the world in their squad

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Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood was a surprise contender in the golden boot race against Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah last season.

In the end, Salah finished well clear of Chris Wood, but the Forest striker was able to notch 20 goals in his 36 Premier League appearances.

And in line with Salah scoring in Liverpool’s opening game of the season against Bournemouth late on, Wood also opened his tally against Brentford – scoring twice in a 3-1 win.

In terms of Wood’s efforts against Liverpool last season, the striker scored against Arne Slot’s side at the City Ground, but he wasn’t on the scoresheet when Forest won 1-0 at Anfield.

And whilst Slot now has Hugo Ekitike vying for the golden boot, Wood has now taken a moment to praise a different Liverpool star.

Chris Wood picks Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk as the world’s strongest footballer

Speaking at the PFA awards, where Wood was named in the PFA Team of the Year, the Forest striker was taken aside by Mail Sport and asked to build his perfect footballer.

Liverpool had five players named in the side, including captain Virgil van Dijk.

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And when it came to building his perfect footballer, Wood chose Van Dijk for his strength, which was partly behind his inclusion in the league’s best side.

In truth, it’s hard to argue with any of Wood’s choices, and even Salah probably wouldn’t disagree with Lionel Messi’s left-foot being chosen ahead of his.

Interestingly, Jamie Carragher tipped Florian Wirtz to become the next Kevin De Bruyne recently, and perhaps he will one day be selected in the ‘footballing brain’ category.

Jeremie Frimpong is Liverpool’s new fastest player

In terms of centre-backs, Van Dijk has always been among the fastest in the Premier League – he’s had the speed to match strength, explaining why he’s been so successful.

But given the Dutchman is now 34-years-old, it’s understandable that he’s no longer among the Reds’ top sprinters.

That being said, FotMob actually clocked Jeremie Frimpong as Liverpool’s fastest player in their 4-2 win over Bournemouth last Friday.

Salah is still remarkably fast himself despite his years, and Ekitike is clearly going to add a very well-rounded set of skills to Liverpool’s attack.

It’s all looking very promising for Slot’s side once again this season, and Liverpool will be looking to do better against Wood and Forest this season, who they failed to beat last term.