Virgil van Dijk's former centre-back Jose Fonte believes Newcastle's Sven Botman is the ideal candidate to one day replace the Dutchman at Anfield
Fonte and Van Dijk formed an impressive partnership at Southampton, helping the team finish sixth in the Premier League under Ronald Koeman in 2016. However, both were gone within two years, with Fonte leaving for West Ham before his fellow centre-back joined Liverpool. a £75m move.
Van Dijk signed a contract extension with Liverpool in 2021 and became captain after Jordan Henderson left the club. However, his current contract expires in 2025 and he will be able to leave for nothing if an agreement cannot be reached by the end of the season.
Fonte saw Van Dijk come into his own after joining Southampton from Celtic in 2015 and believes the Dutch international still has plenty of time at the top. But if Liverpool ultimately need a replacement, he believes Botman could be the answer.
“I would like to see Sven Botman replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool and I think he has the capabilities to do so,” Fonte told JeffBet. The Portugal international played with a young Botman at Lille as they won Ligue 1 in 2021, with the Dutchman moving to England the following year.
“We won the league together in France and like Van Dijk he is a monster,” Fonte added. “He is tall, very good in duels, he plays as a left center back, he likes to tackle, he is aggressive and still young. I just hope he can continue his progress after his injury and stay healthy, if he does. ” I'm sure Liverpool will consider him.”
Botman, 24, was a regular for Newcastle as they finished fourth in the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. However, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in March and has yet to play this term.
Van Dijk is the eldest of three Liverpool stars with a contract that expires at the end of the season. Questions remain about him, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Fonte – who is still playing at the age of 40 – believes his former colleague is capable of doing so.
“I would support Virgil van Dijk to play until he is 40 because although he still has speed, he could adapt in his positioning over the years and anticipate the game even better,” he said. “If he stays healthy and has no injuries, he can continue playing until he is 40. It will just come down to what he wants to do with his career because it can be very exhausting to play at the highest level.
“You have to do so much work every day. But physically he is a monster, one of the best specimens I have seen. As a central defender, he wins all his headers, he wins all his duels quickly, he is good on the ball, He is a complete player.”
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