Virgil Van Dijk’s recent comments about Ajax defender Jurrien Timber read as the perfect recommendation for Liverpool.
Timber is gaining quite the reputation in Holland, starring for the national team aged just twenty-one. And now, Liverpool’s very own Dutch defender has joined his list of admirers.
“I wasn’t nearly as far along as he is now [at the same age],” Van Dijk said of his countryman via SPORTBible. “I have nothing but praise for him. He is a great player and a true professional. He has so much potential. Hopefully he can develop further. Then it will be all right, I think.”
If the young man can carry on progressing at the same rate, he could well be Van Dijk’s perfect successor at Liverpool.
Timber learning from the best
In reality, there is no such thing as Van Dijk’s perfect successor. Liverpool’s No.4 is a one-off. Whoever is tasked with filling his shoes will almost certainly fail to match his impact.
As one of the greatest defenders of his generation, the only way to go from there is down. There’s no shame in being worse than Van Dijk, though. Any player who comes in after Virgil can still be a major success at Anfield.
At twenty-one, Timber is still young enough to potentially be that man. With Van Dijk ten years his senior, he could comfortably slot in once the big man has called it a day.
He’s certainly got the 31-year-old’s seal of approval. Learning from the Liverpool man during international breaks is only going to help him to get to the top level, too.
If things had gone a different way this summer, this potential path for Timber would already have been closed.
That’s because at one stage, a move to Manchester United seemed like an inevitability. As Erik ten Hag sought to fill his squad with familiar faces, Timber was reportedly earmarked as a key signing (The Daily Mail).
In the end, the centre-back signed a new deal with Ajax. That has already seen him play at Anfield this season, and he’ll take on Liverpool again in October.
After Van Dijk’s comments, it may be worth Liverpool paying extra attention to how Timber handles that day.
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