Virgil Van Dijk

[ZAGREB RED]

Watched him at Celtic before he moved, he is a Rio Ferdinand type CB, great on the ball, athletic and actually quite strong and powerful, but whether he really is top class I am not sure. He has fitted in and improved at Southampton, but I think he is still one of those defenders who will cost goals either through trying to play too much football at the back or sometimes through just lazy defending.
Another year or 2 at Southampton and some more caps for Holland and I think then you can judge how good he really is.

 

[m1y2]

He's not top material yet, let him play another season and see how he does but I believe that any of our 8 cb's incl. youth maybe bar McNair could do a job for us or will do better in the future than VVD

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Can't say I agree that Rojo and Jones are/will be better than Van Dijk. No chance.

 

[Mark_Barca]

Watched him a few times for Southampton and he was the one at fault for the goals the conceded mainly due to bad positioning or being attracted to the ball. Don't think he's great defensively but he's good in the air and can score goals himself. Southampton is his level.

 

[Earthquake]

Watched him at Celtic before he moved, he is a Rio Ferdinand type CB, great on the ball, athletic and actually quite strong and powerful, but whether he really is top class I am not sure. He has fitted in and improved at Southampton, but I think he is still one of those defenders who will cost goals either through trying to play too much football at the back or sometimes through just lazy defending.
Another year or 2 at Southampton and some more caps for Holland and I think then you can judge how good he really is.

Not hard to look a class apart when your defensive partner is the bomb scare that is Efe Ambrose.

 

[kr0nix]

Not hard to look a class apart when your defensive partner is the bomb scare that is Efe Ambrose.

I remember Ambrose having a shocker against Juve in the Champions League a few years ago, directly at fault for two of Juve's goals.

 

[Earthquake]

I remember Ambrose having a shocker against Juve in the Champions League a few years ago, directly at fault for two of Juve's goals.

That's basically what happens every time he plays.

 

[BigDunc9]

I can see Everton bidding for him and I don't want to.

Even after last years horror show I would be reluctant to sign a centre back. Jagielka has been one of the leagues better defenders for nearly a decade so I'm put his form down to Martinez. He was still holding the defence together on his own at times anyway. His performance in the semis against you lot was brilliant considering he wasn't even fit.

Stones will partner him and he has a fantastic chance to really push on playing under one of the all time great ball playing centre backs so you would hope he begins to start playing to his potential now. Still for the near future he will always have a mistake in him.

Mori is another who has all the attributes to be a really good centre back but again lacks concentration.

I'd be happy with these 3 plus a experienced back up going into the new season under Koeman.

 

[ZAGREB RED]

Not hard to look a class apart when your defensive partner is the bomb scare that is Efe Ambrose.

He actually played most of the last season with Jason Denayer, another excellent prospect. Good CB partnership, they even scored about 20 goals between them that season they played together. I was referring more to the fact he looked a prospect at Celtic, given that isn't difficult in the SPL if you have any talent, but unlike some players, he actually went down to the EPL and looked up to it, although I agree with other posters on here that maybe Southampton is his level, and probably in a season or two you will have found out if he is capable of moving up another level.
Ambrose is a clown though.

 

[a_devil_inside]

Stones will partner him and he has a fantastic chance to really push on playing under one of the all time great ball playing centre backs so you would hope he begins to start playing to his potential now. Still for the near future he will always have a mistake in him.

Do you think he'll stay? He's always being linked with a big move to the likes of Chelsea and Man United.

 

[TheReligion]

Van Dijk would be a good signing for a club along the lines of Southampton, Not good enough for us IMO, We need to invest in the Central defence like we have the forward line this Summer by getting in a proven quality World Class player or 2, If we really have to go by the 'stop gap' route until Summer then I would rather buy someone like Vlaar who can play in a Van Gaal system

I have liked the look of him at Celtic; he's big, powerful, has pace and is good on the ball.

No thanks

I really don't think he is good enough. Remind me of David Luiz, but not as "good".

This guy is just decent at best imo.

I don't think he's very good.

He's terrible.

Not sure why but I just don't like him. Hes a good defender, but I'd be disappointed if we got him, think we need someone better.

He's not top material yet, let him play another season and see how he does but I believe that any of our 8 cb's incl. youth maybe bar McNair could do a job for us or will do better in the future than VVD

Interesting quotes going back..

Great call on the Soton move in 2014 btw.

 

[izec]

He is a beast. I watched him a few times this season and he always was a rock. He is so cool back there, rarely panicks. Even if he has a positional mistake, he always seems to still make a last ditch tackle or just clear the situation like a boss in the end.

I was sceptical, but i am a fan now.

 

[rollingstoned1]

He's the Dutch Chris smalling, even looks a little like him. Wouldn't be surprised if Arsenal or Liverpool try to sign him some time soon, especially the former with their never ending CB issues.

 

[::sonny::]

One of the best in his role

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

First page of this thread is a right laugh. Some people would have preferred Vlaar to Van Dijk. Chortle.

 

[Kostur]

Looks like you guys want the dijk eh?

 

[red4ever 79]

Class player, watched him a few times also when he played for the national team. Good on the ball and his ability to pass out from the back is of a great standard. Would be an immediate upgrade on Smalling

 

[VorZakone]

He really isn't that good.

 

[PedroMendez]

Better than Smalling, absolutely no chance. Only a better goalscorer and better on the ball.

 

[CM]

There's no way he's better than or an immediate upgrade on Smalling, sorry.

 

[red4ever 79]

There's no way he's better than or an immediate upgrade on Smalling, sorry.

You don't need to apologize, everyone is entitled to their opinion. It is called free speech.

 

[kr0nix]

There's no way he's better than or an immediate upgrade on Smalling, sorry.

From what I've seen of him, he's certainly seems better in possession and looks a lot more confident in that regard, and doesn't seem too shabby defensively either. Whether or not he could meet the higher expectations at United is somewhat of a doubt though.

 

[red4ever 79]

From what I've seen of him, he's certainly seems better in possession and looks a lot more confident in that regard, and doesn't seem too shabby defensively either. Whether or not he could meet the higher expectations at United is somewhat of a doubt though.

Very true. He performs well for Southampton but so did MS and look how that turned out. Lot of people big up Smalling when the relaity is he had a good start to the season last year but tailored off and then has mistake written all over him when he plays.

 

[Sammyjunn]

I accept the shame, he wasnt better than that Smalling at that time, but he's really developed into one of the best CB's.

 

[VanGaalEra]

He's definitely been better than Smalling in 2016, Smalling had a better 2015.

 

[red4ever 79]

Smalling just seems to be prone to the mistake. Concentration lapses. Key matches he has let us done. City with the red card and then at Chelsea last weekend he was awful. Deserved to be dropped

 

[LouisDanGaal]

I really think we will go for him. He is such a logical and relatively simple signing (given that Southampton are a selling club)

 

[CM]

Smalling just seems to be prone to the mistake. Concentration lapses. Key matches he has let us done. City with the red card and then at Chelsea last weekend he was awful. Deserved to be dropped

Any mistake Smalling makes will get highlighted because he plays at a bigger club and that's the nature of football, fine. But that red card against City was almost two years ago now - it seems unfair to still judge him on that when he has come on so much as a player since that time. Apparently Smalling was still carrying an injury in the Chelsea game too, yet he seemed to receive all of the stick when Blind was just as culpable.

van Dijk has developed into a solid Premier League defender but he was also guilty of some very suspect decision making last season. I haven't seen so much of him this season but I find it hard to believe he has improved to an extent where he'd be considered an all round better defender than Smalling.

 

[Cutch]

Outstanding player. Far far better on the ball than Chris Smalling. Will be very highly sought after next summer, will be going for serious money

 

[SwansonsTache]

Let us wait until next summer and then go for Khoulibaly if we want someone comfortable on the ball.

 

[Gio]

I remember Ambrose having a shocker against Juve in the Champions League a few years ago, directly at fault for two of Juve's goals.

As poor as Ambrose is, for the Juventus game I'd place the blame squarely on Neil Lennon for playing him less than 48 hours after Ambrose had played in the African Nations Cup final.

 

[arthurka]

You don't need to apologize, everyone is entitled to their opinion. It is called free speech.

That's the spirit Phil Jones

 

[Litch]

I like him a lot...

 

[DWelbz19]

I still don't think he's very good. Rather, no way should he be an option for us. He's certainly not 'outstanding'.

Another one of those neutral players that just get lauded for no real reason, Everton have had many of them over the last few years. @CM10 is spot on too when he says his mistakes aren't ever focused upon because nobody really gives a feck about Saints. It was similar to Stones until his last season when it became so abundantly obvious.

 

[Henrik Larsson]

He's like the defensive equivalent of Schneiderlin, a good player but not someone who would raise the level of our team.

 

[marukomu]

Sounds like a Dick.

 

[The White Pele]

A good player and one I would take at United as a squad player. Particularly good in the air and he's accomplished on the ball also. He does have mistakes in him though which would be more noticeable if he was playing for United every week. For example, Van Dijk had just as bad a performance at home to Burnley a couple of weeks ago, in terms of individual errors, as Smalling did at Stamford Bridge but it passes by without mention.

He would probably be labelled a donkey by sections of our support within six months of joining.

 

[Scholesy]

He isn't top class but a good player and comfortable on the ball. Martial roasted him last season.

We should stick with Smalling, he just had a bad game vs Chelsea.

 

[ivaldo]

He'll do well at Liverpool.

 

[m1y2]

yes he's becoming some player but let's not overreact here. He's yet to have a season Smalling had for us last season.. Mike was getting into a great form before the Chelsea game but like someone said, his error are highlighted million times more than Van Dijk who you watch once per 10, 20 games not evrey single game like United:-)