Gary Lineker names Liverpool star as player he'd most hate to have faced during his career

Gary Lineker has outlined which Liverpool star he would have least liked to have played against during his career.

Lineker enjoyed a 16-year career at the top level, turning out for clubs including the likes of Barcelona, Tottenham and Everton.

Having since enjoyed the same success in the media spotlight, Lineker believes one man from Jurgen Klopp's team would have caused him serious problems as a striker.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, the former Leicester City forward was posed the question by a supporter via Reddit recently.

Given the player in question has won almost everything there is to win at club level with the Reds in recent years, there are certainly no prizes for guessing who he picked.

"Virgil van Dijk. Because I love defenders diving in and Virgil van Dijk never dives in," began the 63-year-old.

"He stays on his feet all the time and he's very quick and obviously he's a real athlete as well and intelligent.

"So yeah probably Virgil."

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The former Celtic man swapped Southampton for Merseyside back in January 2018 for a then world-record fee of £75m for a defender.

Since then, Van Dijk has established himself as one of the world's best in the position, winning both the UEFA Champions League and Premier League during his time at Anfield.

A no-nonsense defender, the 32-year-old is seeking further silverware with Liverpool this season as a potential quadruple is still on the cards for Klopp's men.

Speaking about his side's chances of glory on all four fronts, the Netherlands international hopes he and his team-mates can deliver the perfect send off for Klopp come the end of the campaign.

“We all want to achieve so much and that mindset was already there since pre-season and that doesn’t change,” said Van Dijk.

“It will maybe even give you an extra boost to do that extra or maybe enjoy it a little bit even more together and make the last part of the season, the last bit of the manager’s time at the club, the best time he’s ever had.

"That’s what we strive for and that’s why it’s business as usual.”

Topics: Gary Lineker, Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool

Matthew Holt

Matthew is a Freelance Sports Journalist who also works for Manchester United, GOAL and Reach PLC. He supports Scunthorpe United.

@_mattyholt