Van Dijk reveals why no one could beat him this season

It may seem incredible, but no player has been able to dribble past the centre-back this season... despite playing 4,285 minutes in a total of 48 games. Van Dijk, who was hailed as the best player in the Premier League, was asked about that fact.

Virgil van Dijk used an interview with Sky Sports as an opportunity to silence the critics: "People say I've been running after the strikers ... I'm not following this data, but of course I try to make sure no one passes me.

As well as bragging about his achievements, Van Dijk also explained the secret of his great performance... and it all goes back to the time when, as a much younger man, he was a striker.

"My way of defending always makes the strikers have to make a decision and that's when I try to take the ball away from them. It's been working very well this season. When I was playing as a striker I realised that it's not nice to measure yourself against someone who forces you to make a decision," he added.

After revealing his defensive secret, the Liverpool player had to bring out his humility: "It doesn't always work, eh (laughs)... but I've done well this season."