Jaap Stam believes one current PL star is better than Chelsea legend John Terry and Manchester United icon Nemanja Vidic

Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has rated Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk as a better player than Chelsea legend John Terry and former Red Devil Nemanja Vidic. Stam, who also represented AC Milan, and is one of the more renowned defenders in world football, told Boyle Sports (via Metro):

"Virgil van Dijk is one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history and people often mention Nemanja Vidic and John Terry – Van Dijk is a better player than those two were."

Explaining that his decision behind picking Van Dijk is the Dutchman being a better player overall, the Manchester United icon added:

"I rate him above them because of his overall ability as a player, it’s better. There are other names I could talk about but Van Dijk is up there with the best ever in the Premier League."

He further commented on the pressure the Liverpool captain is managing as the leader of a side in transition but still chasing the Premier League title.

"What we see now is him still performing at the highest level even though it’s under a new manager and I think Arne Slot expects even more of him than Jurgen Klopp did."

Liverpool's Dutch captain has less than six months left on his current deal at Anfield. According to Stam, Van Dijk should be kept at the club. The former Manchester United defender told Boyle Sports (via Metro):

"Virgil van Dijk is still showing his quality, he’s still very fit, he’s a real professional. He’s also preparing his body to be ready for the next game as soon as one game has finished. If they don’t give him a new contract, I don’t think they understand football."

Adding that Liverpool are smart operators when it comes to player management, Stam said:

"But I think Liverpool are very wise when it comes to building a team, bringing players in, and giving other players new contracts. I believe they’re working on that and trying to keep them within the club and I think that would be a very wise decision to do so."

Van Dijk has won one Premier League, one Champions League, and one FIFA Club World Cup among other trophies. He was also awarded the UEFA Men's Best Player of The Year award in the 2018-19 season while coming second in the 2019 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

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How good were Chelsea captain John Terry and Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic?

The Premier League has had several world-class defenders over the years.

Chelsea's homegrown player John Terry remains the most successful captain in the history of the Premier League. He led Chelsea to five trophies with the armband on. He also holds the record for the most goals scored (41) and most clean sheets (214) kept by a defender in the league.

Coming to Nemanja Vidic, he has also won five Premier League titles with Manchester United. The Serbian holds the record for being a part of the backline which went the longest minutes without conceding a goal (14-match streak in the 2008-09 season) in the Premier League. Vidic also won two Premier League Player of the Season awards (08-09, 10-11) with Manchester United.