BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has named the Liverpool player he believes is more important than Mohamed Salah this season.
The Reds were back in Premier League action over the weekend as they beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James' Park to keep the pressure on leaders Manchester City. Naby Keita scored the only goal of the game as Jurgen Klopp 's side briefly moved back to the top of the table.
And following the match, Crooks picked two Liverpool stars in his team of the week - and added that he believes the Football Writers' Association selected 'the wrong' Red (Salah) for their Footballer of the Year award.
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He told BBC Sport : "Another clean sheet and another enjoyable day at the office for Virgil Van Dijk. I thought this was an extraordinary performance by Liverpool.
"Having played Villareal in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night, travelling to Newcastle for a 12:30pm kick-off at St James' Park three days later and coming away with a victory - bearing in mind the form Newcastle have been in - was outstanding.
"As for Van Dijk, you can read in 'Crooks of the Matter' why I think the Football Writers' Association have selected the wrong Liverpool player for their prestigious Footballer of the Year award."
Liverpool do have the best defensive record in the league this season with 21 clean sheets to Man City's 20.
Goalscorer Keita was also recognised in Crooks' team of the week after the 27-year-old scored his fourth goal of the campaign in all competitions.
On the midfielder, Crooks added: "James Milner's challenge for the ball with Newcastle defender Fabian Schar led to Naby Keita's superbly taken goal which took the Reds back to the top of the table for a short while.
"There was no doubt in my mind, or Andre Marriner's mind for that matter, that Milner got to the ball first. It was a crisp tackle and perfectly judged by the referee. Keita has found himself sharing the defensive midfield role with Thiago who has also been playing particularly well lately. Both men it would appear can be relied upon to do what is needed to get a result when it matters."
