James Milner names his best four centre-half teammates

James Milner has named his best four centre-half teammates, including Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate, Vincent Kompany and current Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. During the virtual media session hosted by Stadium Astro in Malaysia, Milner has opened up on the players. Asked about van Dijk, he said: "He’s right up there. I’ve been very fortunate to have played with some amazing centre-halves. You look at Rio [Ferdinand], Jonathan Woodgate, Vinny Kompany, and Virg is right in there with all those guys. He reads the game so well, he’s quick, he’s strong, he’s good on the ball, he’s a good communicator and he’s deadly in the air. And his positioning is so good. You can see that after the game when you look at how far players have run. He’s run miles less than everyone else, even the other centre-halves, and you think ‘how is that possible?’ but it’s because he reads the game so well. He’s an incredible player for us, and a big part of what we do. The spine in the team is massive and he is obviously a rock in that defence." Milner has also recalled one moment from a Southampton clash when Dutchman had shown his class. "The ball has come over his shoulder, he’s got a forward sprinting to close him down, hunting him down into the corner and he’s just knocked it over his shoulder, first-time, into my path. It was one of those moments in a game where I nearly stopped an applauded before I controlled the ball myself! It was ridiculous defending, but that’s the sort of thing he does," he added.

Pedro Chirivella sends Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool message after making exit