‘Found everything so easy’: Newcastle January signing says one Liverpool player is ‘just outrageous’

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk is the best player Newcastle United’s Matt Targett has ever played alongside.

The Magpies January signing described the Reds defender as an “outrageous” player for whom everything is “so easy”.

Van Dijk has been so good for Liverpool that he has made his £75million transfer fee seem like a bargain.

It didn’t take long for the Dutchman to make his mark following his arrival to Anfield from Southampton in 2017.

He quickly transformed the then-shaky Reds defence into a solid unit and, eventually, a trophy-winning juggernaut.

Jurgen Klopp’s charges have won the Champions League, the Premier League and the Club World Cup thanks in part to Van Dijk’s efforts.

Last season, the 30-year-old suffered a long-term injury, and Liverpool missed him terribly as they laboured to a top-four finish.

But this term, Van Dijk is back and shining once again, with the Reds still in contention for all four trophies.

“He found everything so easy”

Targett joined Newcastle on loan from Aston Villa on transfer deadline day last week.

The 26-year-old played alongside Van Dijk at Southampton between 2015 and 2017.

And when the Newcastle media team asked Targett about who he thought was his best ever teammate, he didn’t hesitate.

“Virgil van Dijk,” NUFC’s YouTube channel quotes him as saying. “He was just outrageous. He found everything so easy, when he was at Southampton.”

Van Dijk’s transfer fee at the time raised eyebrows amongst some rivals, pundits and even Liverpool fans.

After all, £75million for a centre-back was previously unheard of, and Van Dijk was coming from a modest Premier League side.

But a bona fide trophy-winning outfit needs a solid defence, and the Van Dijk effect on the Liverpool back-line – indeed, the whole team – was worth every penny.