“A real captain” – Tide has turned for Liverpool star in homeland, few like him in football

Liverpool and Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk is a ‘real captain’ who deserves praise for the manner in which he deals with his fellow players.

That’s according to Hans Kraay Jr, who has praised the Liverpool defender following his latest performances for the Netherlands.

Van Dijk has found himself back at his best this season for the Reds, seemingly managing to finally shake off the knee injury suffered in 2020.

He’s been earning praise for much of the campaign, with many believing he is back to the level that saw him crowned as the best defender in the game when Liverpool were winning the Premier League title and Champions League.

At 32-years-old, he is now very much considered an older statesman and has been handed that role by club and country, where Jurgen Klopp and Ronald Koeman both have him as captain and leading the youngster players for Liverpool and the Netherlands respectively.

While that is not questioned at Anfield it has often been a topic of discussion in his homeland, with some critics believing he is not up to the task and saying so on several occasions.

Kraay Jr is having none of that, though, and was full of praise for Van Dijk this week, particularly his ability to control a squad and defend the manager.

 “It is very nice when, as a coach, you can blindly rely on your captain,” he said.

“In such a group of 23 players, there are always whiners, disappointed players, who seek each other out and complain together in the shower about the coach.

“When Van Dijk hears that, he steps into that shower and says: the coach has always said you can go to him, hasn’t he? There are very few of those. He is just a real captain.”