Vincent Kompany Names Virgil van Dijk as Greatest Defender in Premier League History

Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has named Virgil van Dijk as the greatest defender in Premier League history.

Kompany, who captained City to four Premier League titles, locked horns with the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand during his time in Manchester, but it's Liverpool defender Van Dijk who's impressed the Belgian the most, despite the Dutchman's relatively short stint in England's top flight.

The Belgian told Sporf: "I would choose Virgil van Dijk as the best defender in Premier League history.

"It is a strange choice because he is not in the scene as long as boys like Terry and Ferdinand. Those boys have played in the league for a very long time."

Kompany is considered one of the greats himself, but he claimed the impact Van Dijk has had on Liverpool following his arrival from Southampton is what lifts him above the rest.

He added: "He makes a huge difference to his team. A defender never stands alone, it is about his communication with teammates and how you make your team stronger.

"The Liverpool before Van Dijk was there and the Liverpool after Van Dijk was a completely different team."

Kompany isn't wrong in that regard. Since Van Dijk joined Liverpool, the Reds' defence has improved dramatically. In his first full season at Anfield, Liverpool finished second in the league on 97 points, losing only one league game all season and conceding a league best 22 goals, 16 less than the previous campaign.

With a PFA Players' Player of the Year award and a second-place finish in the Ballon d'Or award both coming in his first full season at the club, Kompany claims Van Dijk would be even further in front of everyone else if he'd been at a top club like Liverpool earlier in his career.

He said: "But the signals that Van Dijk gives in his last few seasons make it so clear that if he had gone to the absolute top before, he would be even further."