Virgil van Dijk's replacement NAMED by ex-teammate

It’s been widely accepted that replacing Virgil van Dijk will be a nearly impossible task for Liverpool, regardless of when it happens.

Alarmingly for the club, the longer the season goes on without tying Van Dijk down into a new contract, the task of replacing him gets closer and closer.

Rumours about who Liverpool could possibly bring in to do the job that the best centre-back in the world has done for the past seven years have been abundant this season.

Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio and Sevilla’s Loic Bade have all been named as potential replacements for Liverpool’s captain.

But now Van Dijk’s former centre-back partner Jose Fonte has suggested that Newcastle United’s star defender Sven Botman could be the ideal man for the job.

“I’d love to see Sven Botman replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool,” Fonte told JeffBet.

“We won the league together in France and, like Van Dijk, he is a monster.

“He is tall, very good in duels, he plays as the left centre-back, he loves a tackle, he’s aggressive and still young.”

Fonte continued, “I just hope that he can continue his progress after his injury and stay healthy. If he does that then I’m sure he’ll be considered by Liverpool.”

As he mentioned, Fonte also played alongside Botman as they shocked France by beating PSG to the Ligue 1 title back in 2020-21. If anyone has the experience to compare Van Dijk and Botman to each other, it’s him.

Could Botman replace Van Dijk?

Botman himself suffered an ACL injury back in March of this year. In a press conference ahead of the last Premier League game, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe suggested that the club are targeting a January return to the pitch for Botman.

Botman is a player who has impressed since moving to the Premier League. His 65% tackle success rate last season outranks Van Dijk, and both his duels and aerial duels won sit at only five percentage points lower than the Dutchman.

He also was only dribbled past 0.33 times per 90 last season, which sits in the 75th percentile in the Premier League. Van Dijk, for reference, only let 0.18 dribbles past him last season.

It’s a glowing recommendation from a man who has shared significant minutes with both men. If current centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate keeps up his current form, however, whoever ends up replacing Van Dijk will have a much easier job on their hands than expected.