Former Liverpool academy talent Tom Clayton has lauded Virgil van Dijk’s impact on his development in training, with the 22-year-old amazed by the Dutchman’s talents.
Speaking to the Atheltic, the now-Swindon Town centre-back was full of praise for the 31-year-old Liverpool star, with Clayton noting that Van Dijk helped him lot in training despite not even speaking to the Netherlands’ international.
Clayton spent his entire youth career at Liverpool before leaving the club last summer having failed to play a single professional minute for the Reds, with the Scottish youth international now impressing in League Two with Swindon, making 28 appearances in all competitions and playing well over 2,000 minutes.
Whilst the decision to leave Liverpool was a hard one for Clayton, the centre-back left Merseyside with credit in the bank having training with some of the best players in the world, and the youngster was seemingly most impressed with what he saw from Van Dijk.
Clayton said: “One who stood out technically was Thiago, he was ridiculous. And then Virgil (van Dijk). It is frightening how good he is. I picked up loads from him. I don’t think I ever even spoke to him either. It was the way he talked people through the game. His presence made everyone’s lives so much easier.”
Clayton likely learnt more from Van Dijk than any other player at Liverpool
Van Dijk has been at the top of his game ever since signing for Liverpool, and it’s perhaps no surprise that Clayton was left amazed by what he saw from the 31-year-old during their brief spells together on the training pitch at Kirkby.
Moments and sessions like this can go a long way in the development of a young player, and although Clayton never made it at Liverpool, the Scottish youth international is a better defender having trained with Van Dijk had the youngster never got the chance to match up against the Dutchman.
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