"When I was that age, I was nowhere near where he was today" - Liverpool star Van Dijk delivers verdict on 23-year-old Premier League rival

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on Arsenal defender William Saliba. The Dutchman also admitted that he was nowhere close to Saliba when he was the Frenchman's age.

Van Dijk is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders of the modern era and has been pivotal to Liverpool's success in recent years. The 33-year-old has seen several young defenders challenging his throne in the last few years with Saliba arguably being the strongest contender.

Van Dijk stated that he was thoroughly impressed with how Saliba has progressed over the years at Arsenal. The Netherlands skipper admitted that the France international reminds him of himself but also that the latter is way better at his age. He told Rio Ferdinand Presents, as quoted by Liverpool.com:

"Obviously, Saliba's making very good steps at the moment. He's the first one I just have in mind now. He's a solid one. I think in possession, he's doing a good job."

Van Dijk added:

"Yeah [he reminds me of myself], maybe. I think, if I'm honest, when I was that age, I was nowhere near where he was today. Obviously, that's the beauty of football as well. I like to watch other defenders and pick up so many stuff from them. There are so many good ballplayers and centre-halves."

Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018 from Southampton in a reported £75 million deal which was then the highest for a defender. He has been immense for the Reds since, helping the club win eight trophies including the Champions League (2019) and Premier League (2020).

The former Celtic and Southampton star has made 282 appearances for the Merseyside giants to date. On top of being the cornerstone of the club's backline, he has also contributed with 25 goals and 12 assists.

Saliba, on the other hand, joined Arsenal in 2019 in a reported £27 million deal from Saint-Etienne. Following three loan spells away from the club, he finally made his debut for the north London giants in 2022 and has not looked back since.

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Former Liverpool striker claims star trio's contract situation could derail the Reds' title challenge

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has claimed that the club's title challenge could be impacted by three of their best players' contract situations. The Reds are sweating over the futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

All three players have their current deals at Anfield expiring in the summer of 2025, putting the club in a tight corner. Heskey insisted that the uncertainty over the trio's future could affect Liverpool's title challenge. He told Tribal Football:

"I do believe that Virgil van Dijk has spoken about how discussions have started. I don't think there will be auditions. We are talking about top-level players within player recruitment, within clubs they know which players they want anyway. Whoever is in for them, they know what they are in for rather than any kind of audition."

The former Aston Villa attacker continued:

"It is always going to be something that is looming over your head when you've got players of that level as well, because at that level you are talking about captains, leaders, game-deciders who have not signed a contract and it's looming over your head."

The former England international, who won six trophies with Liverpool, added:

"It is not easy but you have to take your hat off to them to still be performing like they are when they haven't got a contract at the end of the season. I wouldn't say they are fighting for their contracts as they are top players but they just haven't got their contracts at the minute."

Liverpool have enjoyed a solid start to the season under their new manager Arne Slot. With 22 points in nine games, they are just one point behind league leaders Manchester City.