“In my opinion yeah [best in the world]. I think he’s just very complete all round, he’s very calm on the ball, has a good pass, can surprise, good aerial, quick – there are a lot of points for me that are really good to have as a centre-half.”
No prizes for guessing which Premier League centre-back this wannabe models their game upon, but gold stars and medals abound for those of you who have worked out which ‘New Virgil van Dijk’ Tottenham are ‘lining up’ to provide cover for Sergio Romero and Micky van de Ven. The headline is admittedly a bit of a giveaway.
Leeds’ last season in the Premier League – the Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, Sam Allardyce mess which saw them finish 19th – made it difficult to sort the squad wheat from the chaff, and many of us will have failed to avoid the temptation to lump all of those players together as relegation fodder.
But Pascal Struijk had already emerged as significant source of pride at Elland Road having emerged from the club’s academy in 2020, before earning the nickname ‘Virg’ in the 2020/2021 season.
When asked in that breakout season about reaching the heights of Van Dijk, he said: “I’ve seen some things but I’m not there yet and if I want to be there I have a lot of improvements to do.
“They did sometimes call me ‘Virg’ but I prefer my own name.
“I think for me yes [calmness on the ball is important] it’s very important because it shows confidence when someone is on the ball and as well having a good pass on you that can help the team, surprise the opponent.”
The 26-year-old hasn’t made the “improvements” required to match Van Dijk’s level – he wouldn’t still be playing for Leeds if he had. But there’s not a great deal of shame in not being the best centre-back in the world.
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And as journalist Graeme Bailey told Leeds United News, with Struijk’s contract expiring in 2027, there are at least three Premier League clubs keeping tabs on the Dutchman, including Tottenham, with left-sided centre-backs “worth their weight in gold”.
Bailey said: “I never got a feeling he was going to leave. Farke made him feel wanted. I don’t think that’ll [new contract] be far off. He’s a fabulous player. He does attract interest. You know, Leeds have to be careful.
“We know the likes of Brighton have looked at him in the past and you know, if they lose a Jan Paul van Hecke, would they look at Struijk? We know that Tottenham looked at him as well.
“Left-sided centre-backs are worth their weight in gold. If Brentford lose Nathan Collins they could come in. Leeds will be looking to extend him because there’s an awful lot of clubs who would take him.”