Newcastle United striker Chris Wood has revealed that Liverpool centre back Virgil van Dijk is the most difficult defender he has faced in his career. Wood came up against the Dutch international on several occasions throughout his time at previous club Burnley, in which he has never scored.
Van Dijk has established himself as arguably the best centre-back in the world since his switch to the Reds in January 2018, winning the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup. He also came second in the running for the 2019 Ballon d’Or, with only Lionel Messi ahead of him.
Speaking in an interview with Boyle Sports EPL, Wood reeled off a long list of attributes that make van Dijk so difficult to play, claiming that you have to up your game when playing against him.
READ MORE: Newcastle United notebook: Ideal James Tarkowski deal, goalkeeper poser and Mo Sangare latest
He said: “Virgil van Dijk is the toughest player I’ve played against. He's phenomenal - the best centre-half in the world. He’s ridiculous on the ball, so quick and very strong. You have to really improve your game against him - he’s got everything.
“Harry Kane is a world class striker. Son is formidable too. Salah is going extremely well this season as he does every year. There’s some serious players in this league and it’s great to be competing with them and trying to outdo them.”
Wood has struggled for goals since his January move from Burnley, though his hold-up play has helped proved to be a great asset for Newcastle. Given his height and build, Wood’s main strengths are when the ball is in the air and he has revealed that he has tried to base his game off Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, who he idolised as a youngster.
He said: “Drogba was my idol growing up and I’ve tried to emulate my game off him. He’s one of the greatest strikers to ever grace the Premier League, in my opinion so I’m just trying to implement what he does in the game.
“The amount of goals he scored, the pace, strength and flair he had and the winning mentality he had was all incredible.”
For the latest Newcastle news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
