Shane Long spent a number of years playing Virgil van Dijk in Southampton, and says that the Dutchman is a touch frustrating to finish – albeit in a good way
Shane Long has laid Virgil van Dijk LOF and claims that his impact in Liverpool was downright transforming.
The Irish striker, who played next to Van Dijk in Southampton, praised his former teammate for making everyone around him and for his difficult playing style. In an exclusive chat with Ladbrokes, Long said: “Virgil van Dijk is just irreplaceable; you can just see how much better he makes every other player around him, and how much easier he makes things for them.
“He is a Rolls Royce when I played against him, I always played the other in the middle, said, so fast, he is fast, he is strong, he reads the game so well.
“You never see him making really sliding tackles because he is always in the first place, he never really has to sprint because he has such a great reading of the game. Everything just comes so easily for him, which is a bit frustrating, to be honest.
“He is one of the best center backs I think the Premier League has ever seen. In Southampton we saw it, day-in, day out, on the training field and on the field and the whole world has seen it since he played for Liverpool.
“Complete honor to him, because he has worked hard … I think Southampton has paid £ 13 million for him, and many teams did not want to take that kind of chance because he came out of the Scottish league, but he came down and showed the whole world what he can do.
“You know, in recent years my little man has now been eight, and I have shown him a Virgil van Dijk at the top at the top, and he is of” no way! “
“When I'm in the garden to give him coaching lessons, he has always been like,” Daddy, what do you know? ” But I think he now knows a little. “
Van Dijk spent two years with Groningen before he made the switch to Celtic in 2013, where he lifted two Scottish Premierships and a Scottish League Cup under Neil Lennon and Ronny Deila.
A relocation of £ 11.5 million to Southampton followed in 2015, where Van Dijk proved its value in one of the most physically demanding competitions in the football world in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp then brought the center half to Liverpool for a world record compensation of £ 75 million in 2018, and the rest is, as they say, history.
Fast forward to 2025, and the club captain has lifted two Premier League titles with the Reds, four domestic cups and a Champions League. Despite uncertainty about his future during the 2024/25 season, he continued to work on the field when Liverpool won their 20th league title.
The relief of Arne Slot and his team will stay at the club until July 2027 after signing an extension of two years in April, together with Star Forward Mohamed Salah. On the other hand, Long had an eight -year -old Stint with Southampton from 2014 to 2022 before he went to read. However, he hung up his boots at the end of the 2022/23 season.