Liverpool legend Sami Hyypia has hailed Virgil van Dijk's leadership skills, which he feels have helped James Milner and Jordan Henderson, and admits that he would have loved to have played alongside the Dutchman.
Van Dijk has been a pivotal player since he landed at Anfield, helping Liverpool win the Champions League last season and pick up the Premier League title in the current campaign.
The Dutchman has been hailed by many as the best centre-back in world football and came close to winning the 2019 Ballon d'Or, finishing second in the voting.
Ex-Liverpool star Hyppia feels Van Dijk’s arrival at Liverpool saw the duo of Henderson and Milner heave a huge sigh of relief after the 28-year old shared the leadership responsibilities at the club, taking some of the burden off the pair.
Hyppia revealed he would have liked to partner Van Dijk had he been presented with the opportunity and is of the view that playing with the Dutchman would have made his life as a centre-back easier.
“I like Virgil. I think when he came, he took a lot of burden out of Jordan Henderson and James Milner as captains”, Hyypia said on beIN SPORT.
“They were carrying the leadership [responsibilities] and carrying the squad, and Virgil came and showed straight away that he was [also] a leader and a big presence on the field.
“He was organising, he took part of the leadership [responsibilities] and everything, and that was very, very important for Jordan and James as well.
“I think for them mentally it was great that they had a third leader there.
“And Virgil is playing the same position as me and I’d very much love to play alongside him because I think it would be very easy.”
Van Dijk has helped Liverpool record the tightest defence in the Premier League so far this season, with the Reds conceding just 25 goals in their 33 games.
