Donny van de Beek names Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk as world's best defender

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has named Premier League rival Virgil van Dijk as the best centre-back in world football right now.

The two men play together at international level for the Netherlands, with Van de Beek getting to see exactly what the Liverpool defender is capable of first-hand.

While neither man was involved in Euro 2020, they have shared the pitch together plenty of times for their country, with the midfielder still getting opportunities for his nation despite struggling to break into the Red Devils setup.

When asked whether or not Van Dijk is the best in the world in his position, Van de Beek told Rio Ferdinand's FIVE YouTube channel: "Yeah. He's really important for our team."

It is something that the former Manchester United defender agreed with, as Van de Beek went on to claim that they missed him at the Euros, where the Netherlands crashed out in the round of 16.

Since returning from injury, the Liverpool defender has played every game for the club in the Premier League this season, keeping two clean sheets, while Van de Beek is yet to feature for the Red Devils.