Dominic Solanke says ‘special’ Liverpool ace is the toughest opponent he’s ever faced in his career

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Dominic Solanke had a bit of a torrid time during his first season with Tottenham due to injuries.

However, that didn’t stop the former Liverpool man from managing to bag 16 goals across all competitions for Ange Postecoglou’s men.

During the 2025-26 Premier League season, the Englishman will likely be looking to improve on those statistics and regain his place as first-choice striker, especially since Son Heung-Min has now exited.

Ahead of the Premier League season kicking off, Solanke has named a Liverpool ace as the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.

Dominic Solanke names Virgil van Dijk as the toughest player he’s faced

There’s no hiding from the fact that Liverpool have one of the strongest teams in the top flight, especially since players such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have been brought in.

That is, even though they did lose the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on Sunday, 10 August.

However, another Liverpool ace has been lauded with praise by Solanke after he was asked by Fot Mob to name the toughest defender he’s faced throughout his career thus far.

“[Virgil] Van Dijk, people ask me that all the time and it’s [an] easy [answer],” he said.

Liverpool are lucky to have Virgil van Dijk among their ranks

It goes without saying that Van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the world.

The centre-back was the first Dutch player to have led his team to the Premier League title as the captain of a club, and without him being in charge of their defensive line, it’s unclear where the Reds would be at the moment.

This is shown by the endless amounts of praise he receives from teammates and pundits alike, with Alisson even calling the Dutch giant a “special” player.

Indeed, Liverpool only likely have another two years of their towering captain until his contract expires, but as long as he can keep up to the same levels he showed last season, the Reds should be more than fine.

Of course, only time will tell what the future has in store, but for now, it’s clear that with Van Dijk at the back, Slot’s men are likely to strike fear in almost every attacker that faces them.