Former MLS star Alejandro Moreno has admitted he does not agree with Vincent Kompany over Virgil van Dijk being the best centre-back in the history of the Premier League as the Dutchman has not been at Liverpool for long enough.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018 from Southampton, helping the Reds to the Champions League final before eventually winning the coveted trophy in 2019.
The Dutch international has garnered critical acclaim for his performances with the Reds, with the Merseyside club losing just one league game this season, sitting top of the Premier League with a 25-point lead over second place Manchester City.
Despite Van Dijk's heroics, Moreno insists longevity is a key aspect of the conversation when discussing an all-time great and as such does not think the Liverpool star can be classed as the best yet.
The former MLS man insists that Van Dijk needs to do the business for more than just the two seasons he has been at Liverpool and pointed to John Terry and Rio Ferdinand as two players who achieved success over a sustained period.
“I just think that longevity is part of the conversation when you consider an all time great”, Moreno said on ESPN FC.
“And if indeed we are going to talk about Van Djik being the best ever, ever, ever in the history of the Premier League, then there has to be more body of work than just two seasons.
“So, we are looking at just raw numbers and the fact is Virgil van Dijk has only played over 80 games for Liverpool whereas John Terry over 400 games for Chelsea and Rio Ferdinand over 300 games for Manchester United, and both of them won multiple league titles with their clubs.
“And so, there is not only a sense of what individually they did as players, but what their teams did over the course of multiple years.
"Longevity again has to be an aspect of the conversation when you consider a player being the best ever, you have to be the best in your position for year, after year, after year, and I just don't think that Virgil van Dijk has done that just yet.
“He may very well have the potential to be the best ever, but we cannot have the conversation about him being the best ever defender in the Premier League just yet.”
Van Djik has won the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with Liverpool in his two years at Anfield and is expected to add the Premier League trophy to his cabinet soon.
