English former footballer Phil Jagielka reveals the name of the Manchester City player who is five (5x) times better than Liverpool player Virgil van Dijk in the defensive position.

It’s true that Virgil van Dijk is one of the best center backs in the Premier League.

When the Dutch captain moved to Liverpool in 2018, he immediately made their defense much better. Before he came, it was known to be very weak.

However, Van Dijk’s presence at the back took the Reds to a whole new level as a club and as a team.

The former Southampton giant had a great sense of the game, was huge, and could pass the ball very well. These qualities helped Liverpool play their fast-paced style of football under Jurgen Klopp and win every club title possible.

But besides Van Dijk, there are a number of other great players in the English Premier League.

I can think of five Manchester City players: John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Josko Gvardiol.

There is applause for Van Dijk, and Jagielka makes a bold claim about John Stones.

All of those defenders, except for Dias, can also play fullback very well, which is not the case with Van Dijk.

Because of this, it makes sense for both fans and experts to compare the Liverpool leader to the defensive group at the Etihad Stadium.

For almost 20 years, Phil Jagielka played in the Premier League. He has faced the winner of the Champions League and some of Manchester City’s present center-backs.

Jagielka thinks Stones, a former friend, is the best center back in the English Premier League. He ranks Van Dijk as the runner-up.

An ex-defender told BBC 5 Live Sport, “John Stones is probably number one.” The Euros were a big part of his good summer. Let’s see how he does at Man City this year.

Also, Virgil van Dijk, a lot of people are excited to see how he does with Arne Slot as his new boss.

“I think a lot of people are going to be expecting him to play, maybe not as well, but I think he’ll have another great season.”

The ex-Sheffield United back put Jarrad Branthwaite in third place, Marc Guehi in fourth, and William Saliba in fifth.

Joe Gomez, who played with Van Dijk at Anfield, also said that Stones was “unbelievable.”

In the last two seasons, Stones and Van Dijk have played a lot alike.
The Reds star was much more available than the £50 million player last season. He started 36 league games, while the English player only played 12 because of injuries.

The season for Van Dijk at Liverpool was great, and it’s fair to say that he had the better season because he was more available and played better every game.

But when Manchester City won the triple crown the previous season, Stones was probably the best center back in the world, while the former Celtic player had a tough time staying in shape.

Liverpool came in fifth place, and Van Dijk may have looked weaker than ever. On the other hand, the England international played the best football of his career in his signature role as a hybrid between fullback, center back, and middle.

Because of this, comparing the two would not lead to a simple answer.