Barcelona's young gem Pau Cubarsi has garnered praise from Virgil van Dijk, who is regarded as one of the world's best defenders.
When asked about Cubarsi during a mixed zone interview, the Dutch defender's face brightened and eagerly participated in the discussion about the young Spaniard.
"I think he's a huge talent, a special player. To be playing at this level at 18 years old, as you said, is already impressive," Van Dijk highlighted, describing Cubarsi as "outstanding".
The Liverpool centre-back highlighted the similarities between their styles of play, noting in particular Cubarsi's long-passing ability, a skill of which Van Dijk is also proud.
"He's not the typical Barcelona style because Pau likes to play long passes too, a lot, and he's good at it. And that's something I like to do as well," Van Dijk observed.
The Dutch captain's praise comes shortly after Cubarsí named Van Dijk as the best current centre-back outside of Barcelona in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo.
The Reds player expressed his sympathy for Cubarsi's recent injury, and was optimistic about the young player's potential: "I was sad for him because obviously he got injured, but I think he's very talented and we have a player with a bright future.