“He’s been doing great this year” – Harry Kane names ‘fantastic defender’ as his toughest opponent in Premier League 

Harry Kane has named Virgil van Dijk the toughest defender he has faced in the Premier League. The Tottenham striker believes the Dutchman is consistent and helps Liverpool win games and trophies.

Jurgen Klopp's side signed Van Dijk for a world-record fee of £75 million in December 2017 from Southampton. They beat competition from Chelsea and Manchester City for the Dutchman, and he has been a rock at the back for Liverpool.

While speaking with Amazon Prime Video Sport, Kane was asked to name the toughest defender he has faced in the Premier League. He named Van Dijk without thinking twice and highlighted his consistency as the main factor. He said:

"Van Dijk’s a fantastic defender. He's been consistent now for Liverpool over many years. Obviously, won the Premier League and the Champions League. Tough defender, he's been doing great this year after his injury last year."

When asked who he believed was the best player in the Premier League this season, Kane went with Mohamed Salah.

"I think Mo Salah has been fantastic. He's had a fantastic start to the season, big reason why Liverpool are up near the top as well."

Kane's thoughts on Van Dijk change after 2 Premier League seasons

While Kane now believes Van Dijk is the toughest defender he has faced, things have not always been the same.

The Tottenham star claimed the Dutchman was 'not invincible' back in 2019 and said:

"Van Dijk is a great defender but he's not ­invincible and Liverpool are not invincible. We just have to concentrate on ourselves. Any team can be beaten on any day and we just have to try to make sure we do that at Anfield. As a striker, it's not just ­one-v-one on the pitch; there's a lot that goes into it."

He added:

"Van Dijk is an amazing defender and he has had a fantastic couple of years at Liverpool. From my point of view, it's just about playing my game and making my movements, doing my runs and trying to get on the scoresheet, trying to get assists. At the end of the day it's a team game, so we all have to be on it with each other and that's the main aim."

The next time Liverpool face Tottenham in the Premier League will be towards the end of the season – 7th May at Anfield. They played out a brilliant 2-2 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, the last time they went against each other.