Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand lavished praise on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk
Michael Owen has claimed that Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is the best centre-back of all time.
BT Sport's pundits were discussing the Holland star ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash against Villarreal, with Rio Ferdinand saying Van Dijk 'is the best centre-back on the planet right now, easy'.
Former Liverpool striker Owen took it on by claiming: 'Well I'd go further. I think he's the best centre-half of all time.'
Asked what makes him better than Ferdinand and others, Owen continued: 'He probably scored a few more goals, not much, but we're talking about the greatest here.