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Eden Hazard Names Virgil Van Dijk As The Toughest Defender He Has Played Against

Eden Hazard Names Virgil Van Dijk As The Toughest Defender He Has Played Against

Real Madrid new boy Eden Hazard said that PFA Players' Player of the Year Virgil van Dijk "was on fire" for Liverpool last season.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Eden Hazard has praised Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk as one of the toughest players he has ever played against.

Speaking to YouTuber Jay Shetty, the former Chelsea superstar named Van Dijk, 28, as the best defender in the Premier League.

"In the Premier League, we have a lot of good defenders -- especially this season, [Virgil] van Dijk was on fire," the Real Madrid star said.

"That's why he got PFA Player of the Year, I think.

"He's really good, he's strong. I remember when we played away against Liverpool and I was striker, I tried to jump against him and I fell. No chance."

Van Dijk was instrumental in Liverpool's success last season as Jurgen Klopp's men finished second in the Premier League and captured the Champions League crown.

And the Dutch centre-back was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and also featured in the PFA Team of the Year.

Hazard, 28, left Chelsea in the summer after he completed his sensational Β£88.5m move to Madrid.

PA

PA

The Belgian ace is on pre-season tour with his new side and is preparing for the upcoming clash with Bayern Munich in the US.

Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane took a swipe at Chelsea by saying that Hazard needed to leave them so that he could reach his true potential.

The Frenchman, 47, told reporters at his pre-match press conference: "He's a determining player. He scores goals and makes a difference.

"He's shown it throughout his career and now we have him. We will take advantage of his qualities. I'm very happy with him.

"Eden needed a club like Real Madrid to improve."

Is Van Dijk the best defender in the world?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA/Anfield Hub

Topics:Β Liverpool, Los Blancos, Football News, Eden Hazard, Chelsea, Football, REds, Premier League, Blues, Virgil Van Dijk, Real Madrid, La Liga

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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