Liverpool legend John Barnes has suggested that young defender Jarrell Quansah could be a future replacement for Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk has been a pivotal figure for Liverpool since his transfer from Southampton in January 2018 and his contract expires in June 2025.
His future at Anfield has been under scrutiny following comments about considering his next steps at both club and international levels.
According to John Barnes, Liverpool and new boss Arne Slot do not need to look far for a replacement.
Barnes believes young Englishman Jarrell Quansah fits the bill and could develop into a top centre-half.
Barnes told bettingexpert.com, “I think Konate is still the first choice next to Van Dijk because he’s got the experience and the quality but Quansah didn’t let anyone down last season. He played with assurance, calmness, and maturity. So even if he isn’t the first choice next season, in the long term, he’s got a bright future and with Van Dijk getting older, he could be the future first-choice Liverpool centre-back.”
Quansah’s career trajectory has been impressive; after a loan spell at Bristol Rovers and making 33 appearances, he scored the final goal of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool tenure.
He was also briefly included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional Euro 2024 squad.
Despite not making the final selection, Quansah remains focused on self-improvement and maintaining a high standard on the pitch.
“I’m always a person who wants to improve and kick on,” Quansah said.
“It’s more of the same and to just keep improving. Like I said before, try to be the best version of myself, keep getting better and better on the training pitch, be a sponge, and take in everything that I can.”
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
