Bayern Munich youngster Liam Morrison has identified Liverpool star and former Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk as his defensive role model.
The 16-year-old centre-back has made headlines this summer when he left Scottish champions Celtic to join the Bayern Munich academy.
He was highly rated at Parkhead and was training with the first team at Celtic during pre-season before Bayern Munich snared him away from the Bhoys.
However, Morrison’s defensive idol remains former Celtic star Van Dijk and the youngster admits that he always felt the Liverpool man could become the best defender in the world.
The youngster is in awe of the Dutchman’s calm and composed demeanour, and how he brings leadership to a backline with his performances.
The Scot wants to emulate his idol and be the kind of defender Van Dijk has developed into.
“I know it sounds cliched, but Virgil van Dijk”, Morrison told The Athletic, when asked which defender he models himself on.
“Ever since watching him at Celtic I knew he had the potential to be the best in the world, and he’s become that.
"It’s how comfortable he is on the ball, how commanding he is in the air, how good he is at rallying his team-mates.
“You look at the stats about him not being dribbled past, it’s incredible for a centre half to have those kinds of stats.
"Against [Lionel] Messi, [Raheem] Sterling, Aguero, no one’s got past him.
“You can tell he’s a leader on the park. That’s what I want to be.”
Van Dijk spent two years at Celtic and made 115 appearances before leaving for Southampton in 2015, to cut his teeth in the Premier League.
