Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk analysed his world-class defending with Rio Ferdinand

Virgil van Dijk is one of the greatest defenders of the modern era.

The Liverpool juggernaut has never looked back since he put pen to paper on a £75-million move to Anfield during the 2017/18 season, making his long-awaited step up after spells with Celtic and Southampton.

It was instantly a match made in heaven with Van Dijk bringing the defensive solidity that Jurgen Klopp’s men had been crying out for with his dominating presence bringing a sense of calm to his teammates.

During his first six months on Merseyside, Van Dijk helped inspire Liverpool to the Champions League final, before truly elevating himself to the status of a modern great during the 2018/19 campaign.

Not only did the Dutchman go one step further and win the European crown with Liverpool, but he was so scintillating on an individual basis that he was only narrowly pipped to Ballon d’Or glory by Lionel Messi.

Considering that a defender hadn’t won France Football’s iconic prize since Fabio Cannavaro captained Italy to the World Cup in 2006, the magnitude of Van Dijk’s achievement couldn’t be undersold.

Throw in Premier League, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs ever since and it’s fair to say that Van Dijk ranks amongst the very best male defenders of the 21st century.

So, to say that any and every opportunity to mine Van Dijk’s knowledge on defending is a valuable one would be the mother of all understatements with Rio Ferdinand getting the opportunity to do exactly that.

That’s because the Manchester United legend – who is most certainly a defensive icon in his own right – had the chance to pick Van Dijk’s brains for an episode of ‘Between The Lines’ slated for release later this month.

In what looks like a thoroughly