Rio Ferdinand has insisted that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk did not deserve to be voted as the best player in Europe last week.

Van Dijk has become a colossal figure at the spine of Liverpool's defence, playing an integral role in the side's triumph in the Champions League last season.

In response, the Dutchman was handed the UEFA Player of the Year award on Friday ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Reflecting on the decision to give Van Dijk the award, Ferdinand told BT Sport: "There's no doubt Virgil van Dijk is the best defender on the planet right now.

"But listen, when a man scores 50 goals in a season like Messi did, or Cristiano winning trophies like he did and the effect he's had in a new championship and at national level – you can't look beyond that.

"People saying it's a bit boring those two winning it every year, but they are putting up numbers we haven't seen before for 12 to 15 years. You can't look beyond that. I'm a centre-half and I'm delighted he's won it but when you've got someone scoring 50 goals a season you can't do that. They're the best."

The Netherlands captain made 50 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring six goals and playing a skipper-without-the-armband role throughout.

Liverpool signed Van Dijk in January 2018 for a fee of £75m, which was then the largest ever sum laid out for a defender.