"He would be in the stands!" - Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool legend wouldn't make matchday squad in current Reds team

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk believes club legend Jamie Carragher won't even make the matchday squad for the current team.

Carragher had an extensive 17-year career for the Reds. He made 737 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and providing nine assists.

He won the UEFA Champions League trophy with the Merseyside club in 2005 when they defeated AC Milan in that historic final in Istanbul.

Van Dijk, however, believes that the Englishman won't be a part of the current Liverpool side as the told Gary Neville on the Overlap show (via Anfield Watch):

"Like the squad or the 11? He wouldn't even make the full squad, the first 20, he would be in the stands!"

The Dutch centre-back has established himself as one of the best defenders in the world since his high-profile £75 million move from Southampton in 2018.

He has made 200 appearances under Jurgen Klopp, scoring 17 goals and providing 13 assists. He was vital in ending the club's 30-year wait for the league title in 2020 and their Champions League triumph the year before.

During his time at the club, Van Dijk has partnered with the likes of Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, and more. However, he believes Carragher would have been partnering with him in the center of defense if the Englishman was an active player today.

---

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp talks about his team's unpredictable performances

Liverpool FC v SSC Napoli: Group A - UEFA Champions League

Liverpool's performances have been very unpredictable this season. While they have struggled against lesser teams like Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, they have beaten a powerhouse like Manchester City and an in-form side like Napoli.

Jurgen Klopp reflected on their performances while speaking to the media after his team's win against Napoli in the Champions League on November 2. He said (via liverpool.com):

"We don’t doubt the quality, I don’t think anybody doubts the quality. But that’s part of the problem as well – we don’t show consistency. That’s why I mentioned the second goal against Leeds as an example for our situation. It’s a situation where you have to defend with all you have but we are chasing the game, even when it’s around our 18-yard box.

"And you can see nobody wants to have a throw-in for Leeds and they can let time run down, and nobody protects the box pretty much because everybody thinks, ‘We have three players out there, we will win the ball.’ That’s a little bit the situation we are in, that’s why we have to make a proper step back and tonight we did that."

The Reds have tallied four wins, losses and draws apiece and are a disappointing ninth in the Premier League table. Meanwhile, they lost only once in the UEFA Champions League group stages, finishing second behind Napoli in Group A with 15 points.