Sergio Agüero has told Argentina everything he knows about Virgil van Dijk as the South Americans prepare to face the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Liverpool’s number 4 captained his nation to a 3-1 defeat of the USA yesterday, while Lionel Messi inspired Argentina in a 2-1 defeat of Australia in his 1,000th professional game.
It means that former Manchester City striker Aguero, who faced the former Saints defender on numerous occasions during his Premier League spell, has offered some advice to his former international teammates about the 31-year-old and how he likes to play.
“He’s not fast; he has long legs: 10 sprints from me are two from him”, Agüero told ESPN Argentina (via Liverpool Echo). “You have to distract him with something else… that someone yells at him from the stands. If I’m there, I’ll start talking to him there.
READ MORE: Paul Ince reports Liverpool target to become ‘world class’ when comparison to Steven Gerrard is made
“He is great. Once in the Premier League, he said that the most difficult to score was me. He plays with your physique; that is, he is measuring you and you have to find a maneuver and do it for him to eat it because it is not from go out to push
“He allows you to receive; he waits for you to throw him the long ball and he puts his body in and bye. He plays like that.”
Van Dijk has been recognized as one of the best defenders in the world in recent years after his immense consistency for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Surprisingly, the World Cup in Qatar is the first major international tournament the excelta has played in and he will be happy with his team’s performance so far.
Things don’t get much more difficult than facing the PSG star and he’ll be looking forward to savoring success with Argentina in what may be his last major tournament for his nation.
Why the Scousers don’t root for England: Paddy ‘the Baddy’ Pimblett hits the spot
