Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has tipped Reds defender Virgil van Dijk to win the PFA Player of the Year award this season.
Van Dijk has been instrumental in helping Liverpool mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title.
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Van Dijk arrived at Anfield in January 2018 for £75million
They are currently top of the table, two points ahead of Manchester City – another former club of Hamann’s – although the Citizens have a game in hand.
And while the title race is set to go down to the wire, Hamann doesn’t think the contest for Player of the Year will be quite so close and believes the Dutchman will become the first defender to win the prize since John Terry did in 2005.
He also believes City star Raheem Sterling should come second.
Hamann said: “Virgil van Dijk looks all over the PFA Player of the Year even though it’s an award that defenders don’t have a history of doing well in.
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“We’re only a few weeks away from the nominees being announced and in my mind it has to be Van Dijk, with Raheem Sterling presumably nicking second spot.
“John Terry was the last defender to win the prize and that was 14 years ago. It’s hard to put into words quite how good Van Dijk has been for Liverpool. To improve a side from the day after you arrive is an achievement in itself but to transform that side is incredible.â€
Van Dijk arrived at Anfield for £75million in January 2018, a world-record transfer fee for a defender.
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Van Dijk has made Liverpool defensively solid
The 27-year-old has transformed Liverpool’s fortunes at the back, with the Reds keeping 17 clean sheets out of a possible 31 in the league this campaign.
And Hamann said these improvements have been down to the leadership and skills of Van Dijk.
He added: “Liverpool are blessed to have him because he’s a manager’s dream.
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“To watch him is to watch a player who cruises around the pitch as though he’s got gears to move in. It’s not just his tackling, his passing, his heading – it’s his organisational sense, his positioning, his ability to read situations quickly.
“He’s squeezed in between two relative rookie full-backs, yet Liverpool defensively are simply outstanding. And that’s down to the leadership and the skills of the Dutchman.â€
Didi Hamann was speaking to RacingPost.com
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