Glen Johnson names the one Liverpool player who can stop Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland

Ex-Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson has named Virgil van Dijk as the Reds star who can stop Erling Haaland during his team's upcoming Premier League contest against Manchester City.

During a recent conversation with Squawka, Johnson was asked whether anyone can combat Haaland's physicality during the Reds' visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (November 25). He replied:

"If anyone can stop Haaland, Van Dijk can. The issue is, with City it's not just about him and there are goal threats everywhere. Liverpool have to be careful not just build the whole game plan around Haaland."

Johnson, who represented Liverpool 200 times during his career, said:

"But in terms of the one-on-one battle between him and Van Dijk, it will be interesting to see how they take the game on. I'm interested to see if Haaland will look to go in behind or drop off and pull Van Dijk away from the defensive line."

Van Dijk, 32, has been in stellar form for both Liverpool and Netherlands since the start of the season. He has found his usual form at the heart of his team's backline after a sub-par 2022-23 campaign.

Haaland, on the other hand, has scored 17 goals in 18 games across competitions for City this season. He would be keen to net his first Premier League goal against the Anfield outfit in his second outing.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, could face a real tough test in stopping Haaland on Saturday owing to his club's sub-par record at the Etihad. Jurgen Klopp's side have won just once in their last 14 league trips to City.

Darwin Nunez hailed by ex-Liverpool star

Speaking to Squawka, Glen Johnson showered praise on Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez following his confident start to the ongoing 2023-24 season. He elaborated:

"I think Nunez could absolutely become one of Europe's elite. He impressed me a lot last year even when he wasn't scoring, because he was still a threat. Of course he does miss chances, but he creates for his teammates, he's a threat to defenders. He's a fantastic player and looks the real deal."

Nunez, who joined the Reds from Benfica in a potential £85 million switch in 2022, has scored seven goals in 17 games, including nine starts, for his current club this campaign. The 24-year-old has also registered six assists in 872 minutes of action across competitions so far.

Since the start of the campaign, the Penarol youth product has also impressed for Uruguay. He has contributed five goals and three assists in the last six FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Marcelo Bielsa's side.