Virgil van Dijk hailed Joe Gomez as England's finest centre-back as he tipped his Liverpool teammate to rediscover his best form this season.
Gomez, 25, was left as the Reds' fourth-choice option in central defence last season after Ibrahima Konate made a brilliant impression following his £35million arrival from RB Leipzig. This limited the Charlton academy graduate to eight appearances in the Premier League and 21 in all competitions, raising doubts over his long-term future at Anfield.
However, Gomez decided to commit his future to Liverpool by signing a lucrative long-term contract which will keep him on Merseyside until 2027. Van Dijk - who penned a new deal of his own last year - is delighted he will continue to play with his long-time colleague for many seasons to come and sent Gomez an encouraging message ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
"We spoke about it before he signed the deal and I'm just very happy that he's staying at the club, staying with me," the Dutchman told Liverpool's official website of Gomez. "Also, I'm happy for the club that he's signed.
"He is, in my opinion, [one of] if not the best English centre-back around. Obviously, we've both been very unlucky with the injuries we had. Obviously, his time will come again and hopefully this season he can show that."
Van Dijk also reserved praise for 23-year-old Konate - the youngest of Liverpool's star-studded centre-back quartet - before declaring that the Reds are "blessed" with their wealth of options at the back. Discussing the Frenchman, the 31-year-old added: "He's a very, very good player. What I like the most about him is the will to learn each and every day as well.
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“Obviously, there are loads of things that can improve – and that's good because he has time, he needs the experience. In my opinion, experience is a big thing for a centre-half to learn and to take with you. In his case, I'm very happy to see him develop, I'm very happy to see him shine on and off the pitch, he's a fantastic character.
"But I can say that about the other two [Gomez and Joel Matip] as well. We are very blessed as a club and I am very blessed to have these players around me as well." Liverpool take on Red Bull Salzburg in a friendly on Wednesday before facing domestic rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield on Saturday.
Their final pre-season encounter comes against Strasbourg on Sunday, giving the Reds their final chance to prepare for their Premier League opener against Fulham the following Saturday.
