Virgil van Dijk shares admiration for Manchester United legend he wants to match at Liverpool

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has admitted it would have been an honour to have played alongside former Manchester United star Jaap Stam.

Stam, who played a total of 127 times for the Red Devils, shares the same homeland as the Merseysiders stalwart and allegiances are set to be put to the test as United and Liverpool go head-to-head in the Premier League at Old Trafford this weekend.

It's Erik ten Hag's side who currently have the bragging rights after their dramatic FA Cup quarter-final success just a few weeks ago, as Amad's 121st-minute winner set up a trip to Wembley to face Championship side Coventry City in just a few short weeks. ALSO READ: What would finishing sixth mean for Man United?

European clarity amid fading Champions League hopes ALSO READ: Ten Hag makes admission about Man United's Champions League qualifying chance s Van Dijk's name is often one that crops up when many talk about the Premier League's best central defenders and speaking via The Overlap just a few weeks ago, former Ajax man Stam shared light on the often unfair criticism Van Dijk receives in the Netherlands. "The thinking is the communication, his coaching, his leadership, is not doing enough on the pitch," began the 51-year-old. "They think he needs to do more, especially when the team is not playing well, that he needs to be the player to tell them what to do and put them in position so they can make a difference. "They say he's not doing that and I find that hard to see that on the pitch, from the television.