Jamie Carragher compares William Saliba to Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk

Jamie Carragher has paid William Saliba the ultimate compliment by comparing him to Liverpool’s defensive linchpin Virgil van Dijk.

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The France international has had a transformative effect on Mikel Arteta’s side since belatedly being given the chance to live up to the lofty reputation he has held since signing for Arsenal three years ago.

Saliba has been forced to bide his time since his £27million transfer from Saint-Etienne but has cemented his place at the heart of Arsenal’s defence this season after returning from a loan spell at Marseille.

As well as being taken with the sheer quality of his performances, Carragher believes the elegant centre-half has had a huge impact in raising the level of those around him in a way which is reminiscent of the impact Van Dijk had on his Liverpool teammates when he joined for what was then a world record fee in January 2018.

Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column: ‘At Arsenal, the integration of William Saliba and signing of Gabriel Jesus have elevated the team’s performances to a point where they look like a top-four team again.

‘Saliba is a modern centre-back in the Van Dijk mould. He is fast enough to deal with the quickest strikers, aerially strong to cope with target men, and comfortable in possession to ensure his side can play from the back.

‘Yes, these are early days and Saliba has a long way to go to match Van Dijk’s long-term influence at Liverpool, but he has had an immediate impact on how structurally sound a previously flaky defence looks.

‘There is an echo of Van Dijk’s early months at Anfield.

‘So far, Arsenal are conceding fewer goals and shots per game than last season, and there has been a significant drop off in the number of