Garth Crooks names Liverpool's 'most important player'…

Garth Crooks names Liverpool's 'most important player' and makes Darwin Nunez finishing claim

The form of Liverpool's 'most important player', Virgil van Dijk, can help the Reds get back into the Premier League top four, according to Garth Crooks.

The BBC pundit has named both the Dutch centre-back and his defensive team-mate Andy Robertson in his Premier League Team of the Week after Jurgen Klopp's side resumed their league campaign with a 3-1 away win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

Liverpool have now won their last three Premier League matches as they look to recover from an indifferent start to the season that has all but extinguished their title hopes. But Crooks believes that a return to form for Van Dijk is absolutely pivotal in the Reds' revised target of finishing in the Champions League qualification places.

Writing about the Holland skipper, Crooks said: "There was a time when Virgil van Dijk was making my team selection on a weekly basis. The Netherlands captain's loss in form affected Liverpool so badly, they dropped out of the top four. However their impressive victory at Tottenham before the international break sent a sharp signal to the rest of the league that they might be over their difficulties - and are making a bid to regain their place among the elite.

" Van Dijk took his Liverpool form with him to the World Cup and brought it back to Villa Park too. He is, in my view, the most important player in the Liverpool team - and that includes Mohamed Salah and Alisson."

Crooks also had plenty of positive things to say about left-back Robertson, who provided the assist for Salah's opening goal against Villa and was a constant threat throughout the match.

Crooks wrote: "The ball for Darwin Nunez from Andy Robertson in the early exchanges of the game against Aston Villa was a scorcher. That the Uruguay striker didn't add the finishing touch to what was a glorious pass suggests he is more unsure of himself in front of goal than he should be.

"However none of that stopped Robertson from continuing to pour more crosses and assists into the opposition's penalty area to cement what was a very professional away performance. The Scotland captain also handles himself extremely well in post-match interviews, which rather suggests he is not afraid to speak his mind."

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