We all know that Virgil van Dijk is one of the best centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen. Liverpool fans would almost certainly agree that he is the best, while even rival fans would have him towards the top, if not at number one.
Well, former Manchester United captain Ashley Young went against the grain. As part of the launch of Overlap Daily, the 41 year old was asked to build the ultimate footballer. These were his selections:
Ashley Young's ultimate footballer
- Right foot: Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Left foot: Lionel Messi.
- Pace: Anthony Gordon.
- Skills: Lamine Yamal.
- Heading: Casemiro.
- Football IQ: Vitinha.
- Passion: Neymar.
The former England international began pretty strong, picking Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi straight off the bat seems pretty sensible. After that, some of his picks were a bit more rogue, but who are we to disagree. However, it was the man he refused to select that caught the attention.
When deliberating over heading, the media person behind the camera gently suggested Virgil van Dijk. Young very much scoffed at this recommendation, made a face in disgust and stated "no chance", before opting for Casemiro instead.
This very much is Young's club loyalties shinning through. He made 261 appearances for Manchester United, club captain during his final season at Old Trafford, winning five major honours. He latter spent two seasons across Merseyside at Everton, representing the Toffees 70 times, so it is easy to understand why Liverpool would not be Young's favourite club around.
So, how did he perform against van Dijk? Well, Young actually won his first two encounters with the Dutch defender, Man United beating Jürgen Klopp's team at Old Trafford in March 2018, before England won a friendly at the Johan Cruijff Arena 13 days later.
After that though, Young won only one of ten encounters with van Dijk, this the Blues famous 2-0 derby victory at Goodison towards the end of Klopp's tenure. Thus, it is easy to understand why he does not hold the Reds' club captain in the highest regard.
So, is his assertion that the Dutch defender is not one of the best headerers of all-time based on fact? Well, of his 80 career goals for club and country, 52 have been headers, including 22 of the last 23. The only goal van Dijk has scored with not his head since December 2023 came during an 8-0 demolition of Malta at Euroborg. Thus, the idea his name should be scoffed at is silly, but then again surely Young would agree if he was being serious.
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