Virgil van Dijk said he was outbid by two Arsenal stars, but Liverpool’s reality is clear

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has not been as good as two Arsenal defenders this season, according to Tony Cascarino. In another example of the Dutch being taken for granted, a strange verdict was delivered.

“He was very good for a while, but looking over the course of the season I would definitely say that William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães were better,” Cascarino told talkSPORT. “He hasn’t played badly, that’s for sure. I mean, look, there have been other seasons where he’s clearly justified being number one at centre-half, but no, not this season.”

In the Premier League in 2023/24, Liverpool have conceded 10 more goals than Arsenal so far, but Van Dijk is not the only factor in that. The Reds were without Alisson Becker for most of the games, as well as Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

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Mikel Arteta’s side, on the other hand, managed to pick almost the same team in every match. Injuries did not affect Arsenal in the same way that Jürgen Klopp’s final campaign was troubled, which will also play a significant role.

Cascarino said Ollie Watkins should win the Player of the Year award just ahead of Phil Foden and Martin Ødegaard. Declan Rice and Alexander Isak were also mentioned, but there were no Liverpool stars thrown into the mix.

Liverpool.com says: Van Dijk is still the best defender in the Premier League. When was the last time he made a mistake? Arsenal’s, alongside Alisson, is probably the only obvious one this year.

While Saliba and Gabriel are part of a squad that will come close to winning the Premier League and are newer and fresher, the idea that they are both ahead of Van Dijk is not true. Saliba has the potential to get there, but Gabriel is a very good centre-back without being world-class. Van Dijk’s level is simply less noticeable because it’s just the norm these days.

Both benefit from being on a team that works very well. As Liverpool take the next step forward as a collective, Van Dijk will continue to be a very big part of that. He should undoubtedly get a new contract this summer.