Former footballer and pundit Ally McCoist believes Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk is not the same player he once was amid the Merseyside club’s current struggles.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are experiencing an awful season so far and the campaign has shown a decline in some of the German coach’s most important stars.
One of them has been Virgil van Dijk and despite returning from his major knee injury in impressive fashion last season, the Dutch defender has struggled during the current campaign and talkSPORT pundit Ally McCoist believes the 31-year-old is not the same player he once was.
Speaking on talkSPORT about Van Dijk’s struggles, McCoist said: “He is not the same player. Even at the World Cup when I’m watching him, great player, but he is not where he was before the injury.
“He was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best centre-back in the world at that time, superb he was.
“He is now very, very good, but he’s just not there, back to that place where he once was.”
? “Van Dijk is not the same player!”
? “Van Dijk is not where he was since the injury. He was the best in the world!”
Ally McCoist admits Virgil van Dijk hasn’t been the same for #LFC since his injury…
? With our friends @ArnoldClark #Ad pic.twitter.com/ymHrIu4WMC
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) January 17, 2023