Van Dijk thinks Liverpool player is ‘fantastic’ even though Klopp’s barely used him this season

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Virgil Van Dijk has been praising the ability of fellow Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez.

Speaking to WALK ON, Liverpool’s official eMagazine, Van Dijk called his 24-year-old teammate a ‘fantastic’ defender.

“We are in a good situation in that position because Joel Matip is doing well and Joe Gomez is also a fantastic defender,” said the Dutchman.

Van Dijk went on to speak about the healthy competition for places at centre-back. The 30-year-old insisted that the players are happy with whoever Jurgen Klopp decides to pick.

“At the end of the day, the manager decides which of us is playing, and everyone is very happy with that,” he said.

What else did he say

Van Dijk was also full of praise for Ibrahima Konate. Virgil has seen the £35m signing from RB Leipzig up close this season.

The two partnered each other for the historic 5-0 demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford in October. Van Dijk is encouraged by what he has seen from the 22-year-old so far.

“He is a fantastic defender, he is still young and he is still improving,” said The Reds’ number four.

“I can only be positive about him as he’s a great guy to be around and he’s open to learning. But first and foremost, he’s a fantastic defender.”

World class options

The options that Klopp has at centre-back are a far cry from last season’s debacle.

Gomez in particular has suffered with the fact that the manager now has four quality options to choose from. The England international has been left out of the last two matchday squads.

This has led to some speculation over his future. But Klopp recently allayed those fears somewhat by saying “everything will be fine in the future” for Gomez via liverpoolfc.com.

With a good portion of the season still to come, Gomez will hope Van Dijk’s words can be a reminder to the manager that he still has plenty to offer the team.