Liverpool: The five players who could replace Virgil Van Dijk

Omar Colley

The Gambian centre-back was linked with a move to Liverpool this summer. The Reds are clearly interested and he would be a cheap option for the club.

Despite his availability for a relatively low figure, Omar Colley possess an abundance of quality. The towering centre-back has the pace and the strength which has been Van Dijk’s primary assets at the heart of the club’s defence.

His dangerous in the air and has been a standout performer in the Serie A for the last few seasons.

He is similar to the highly rated Kalidou Koulibaly, but Colley is younger and way more affordable for the club.

He could be an excellent pick-up by the Reds.

Nikola Milenkovic

Another strong and towering defender. Nikola Milenkovic would definitely be an option for the long term.

The 23 year old is one of the most highly regarded defenders in the Serie A and it was a major shock to see him remain at Fiorentina this summer.

The likes of Juventus were keen to buy the Serbian but they opted to move for Marash Kumbulla instead.

That could be Liverpool’s gain.

Nikola Milenkovic is an excellent ball-playing centre-half. He is hard as nails and has been compared to Nemanja Vidic in his homeland.

Those are lofty words for a player so young but in his short career, Milenkovic has already proven himself to be a more than capable defender. He reads the game well just like Van Dijk, he is strong in the tackle and is able to dominate his opponents.

Liverpool have perhaps lacked that Eastern European edge in their defence, since the departure of Martin Skrtel and Milenkovic could bring that back.

The Serbian is a much better player than the former Slovak international, but he could bring that tough no messing about attitude which Liverpool’s current defenders lack without Van Dijk.

Jordan Henderson

And finally a short term solution might to play the Reds’ captain in that role. Yes this might be a surprising call, however Jordan Henderson could thrive in the role.

He has the pace and the reading of the game which is necessary for a centre-half. And it is not unusual for midfielders to move to the centre of defence.

Former Reds midfielder, Javier Mascherano was converted to a centre-back at Barcelona and played with huge success in the position for the Catalans.

Henderson could well emulate the Argentine and it could be another masterstroke by Jurgen Klopp.

Henderson has the advantage of being relatively tall at 6ft in contrast to Mascherano and that could be to his benefit as it could aid him in aerial battles.

What do you think, how would you solve Liverpool’s current defensive conundrum?