Virgil Van Dijk 'More Complete' Than Nemanja Vidic, Says Frank Leboeuf

Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk is a more complete defender than Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic, according to former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf.

Van Dijk's consistently superb performances for Liverpool have put him in the conversation about the Premier League's best-ever defenders.

Vidic, who won five Premier League titles with United between 2006 and 2014 and formed a supreme partnership with Rio Ferdinand at Old Trafford, is for many one of the defensive benchmarks in modern English top-flight history:

But Leboeuf, who played for Chelsea as a centre-back between 1996 and 2001 and won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 with France, believes Van Dijk has more to his game than Vidic did, per ESPN FC:

"I would go for Van Dijk. I think he's more complete. I loved Vidic, because he was a dog, and a fantastic defender. But Van Dijk can lead the team and has range, long balls. I don't think Vidic was capable of doing that. Hats off to Vidic, though."

Van Dijk has played a key role in the recent transformation of Liverpool from perennial also-rans to UEFA Champions League winners and Premier League champions-elect.

He made his debut for the Merseyside club in January 2018, and Liverpool have since conceded 53 goals in 82 Premier League games at 0.65 goals per game.

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First time a Liverpool team including Virgil van Dijk has conceded three goals in a Premier League game. This is Van Dijk's 80th PL game for Liverpool.

— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) February 29, 2020"

In the club's preceding 175 games from the start of the 2013-14 season, they had conceded 218 goals: a rate of 1.25 goals per game.

The recruitment of Alisson, among others, and the diligent coaching of manager Jurgen Klopp have also been crucial to solving Liverpool's long-term defensive issues.

But it is Van Dijk who has been at the heart of it, and it is because of their renewed defensive solidity that Liverpool look set to finally end their 30-year wait for a 19th English league title:

Liverpool have always had attacking flair. Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres were key players in Reds sides that have come close to winning the Premier League previously.

Van Dijk's impact, though, will likely go down in Liverpool history as the key element in propelling them to title glory again.