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Wayne Rooney has a slightly different take on the argument that Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool’s captain colossus and arguably the finest centre-half in world football – can consider himself fortunate to play in the modern age.

Countless observers over the years have suggested that Virgil van Dijk stands out head and shoulders above most because, quite simply, centre-forwards are not what they were.

In an era where inverted wingers tend to battle it out for Golden Boots and classic number nines are harder to come by, would Liverpool’s evergreen £75 million giant have made life look so easy in the days of Didier Drogba, Ruud van Nistelrooy and co?



But does Van Dijk actually stand out so much because of the lack of truly world-class central defenders, rather than an absence of elite centre-forwards?

Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images

Rooney came up against the one-time Celtic and Southampton man late in his Premier League career.

“I flip that [argument] and think the defenders are nowhere near good enough [compared to in the past].

But I think the majority of defenders are nowhere near as good as what they were.”

Rooney, who scored 208 Premier League goals in a 16-year career at the top-level, does agree however that Van Dijk is rarely tested in the manner of, say, central defenders playing a couple of decades past.

“The game now has gone more positional.

I don’t think they are getting challenged anywhere near [as much as they should].

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

“If I was playing against Van Dijk, normally I would have a [Carlos] Tevez or a Luis Saha or a van Nistelrooy alongside me.

That part of the game has gone.

“Van Dijk is certainly more than good enough to go and play at that time.
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