Virgil van Dijk has been told that he’s no longer ‘world class’ despite what he’s done for Liverpool

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Virgil van Dijk has been one of the best players in the world for some years now.

The centre-back has been one of the main reasons behind Liverpool’s dominance, with his performances often single-handedly winning the Reds games.

This season, none of Arne Slot’s men are playing to the best of their ability, but of all the players on the pitch, Van Dijk still feels like one of the better options at their disposal.

That is, especially when compared to Ibrahima Konate, whose mistakes have cost the Anfield outfit a fair few points this term.

However, that has not stopped Jason Cundy from criticising Van Dijk and claiming that he’s no longer world-class.

Jason Cundy says that Virgil van Dijk is no longer a ‘world class’ centre-back

If you asked anyone over the last few years who the best defender in the Premier League has been, most would say Van Dijk.

The defender has been key to Slot’s plans ever since he took over from Jurgen Klopp, and without him, Liverpool would be in a whole world of trouble.

In fact, his last-minute goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League was the only reason why they walked away with all three points.

However, while speaking live on talkSPORT, Cundy shared his thoughts on the centre-back and slammed his recent performances.

“He’s not the best defender ever,” Cundy said.

“Is he world class?” O’Hara replied.

“He has been, but he’s not. He had a couple of seasons. He did have a couple of good seasons. I can’t deny that,” Cundy said.

Liverpool must find a successor for Virgil van Dijk soon

Since Van Dijk is only contracted to Liverpool until the summer of 2027, they’ll have to start looking for his replacement soon.

The centre-back has been one of the Reds’ most regular starters over the last few years, and the amount of impact he’s had on the club is massive.

Of course, the Reds did manage to bring in Giovanni Leoni this season, but since he has been ruled out for a year due to an ACL tear, his development has been set back a bit.

And, while it’s still feasible that Liverpool could offer Van Dijk a year-long extension in the 2026-27 season, it feels like he’ll be getting to the end of his career by that point.

This means that players such as Marc Guehi or Castello Lukeba must be targeted so that Liverpool don’t have a mad scramble in the 2027-28 season to try and find a replacement for the Dutchman.

The next couple of years will be a massive transitional period for the Anfield outfit, but it’s one that’s certainly needed, especially with the super teams that clubs such as PSG are building.