Virgil van Dijk has done absolute wonders for Liverpool since his arrival in January.Supporters had suggested that Jurgen Klopp would never succeed at Anfield until he shored up the club's defence and it seems the arrival of Van Dijk has instantly solved the problem.Not only has the Dutchman proved himself to be one of the best defenders in the Premier League, but he has improved the players around him with Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren making progress.There's every reason to suggest that Liverpool wouldn't have the defensive record they now do without Van Dijk's arrival and £75 million never looked so cheap.That was certainly the opinion of Klopp after Van Dijk's performance against Crystal Palace earlier this season, where he remarked: "He’s a player in this market who is worth it, and maybe now people think he was too cheap!

Van Dijk impressing this season

“Quality costs a specific price. With cars it’s the case, and with players too. Nobody thinks about it now.

"It was very important that Virgil was there with that kind of presence. His performance was really, really good. It’s obvious."

That's all well and good, but that's from Van Dijk's very own manager and - although his performance against Palace was superb - it's always going to be tinged with bias.

Glenn Murray casts his verdict

Perhaps the best source of information on Van Dijk comes from those who have played against him and one such player is Glenn Murray who faced off against Liverpool back in August.

He appeared on BT Sport on Saturday morning and was asked by Robbie Savage who he thought was the toughest centre-back he plays in the Premier League. His answer said it all.

Murray responded: "For me, there's one man that stands out - Virgil van Dijk.

"To begin with, he's a man-mountain, he reads the game well and then he organises his defence to be solid as well.

"For me, he's the stand-out central defender in the Premier League."

Wow, that's certainly high praise.

Murray wasn't able to breach Liverpool's defence during Brighton's 1-0 loss earlier in the season and the influence of Van Dijk clearly left an impression on the striker.

And the 35-year-old is no mug either, having already scored four goals in five appearance this season and only last night scored the winning goal against West Ham.

Yet, even compared to the likes of Vincent Kompany, Eric Bailly and Toby Alderweireld, Murray believes Van Dijk is head and shoulders above the rest.

Liverpool to beat Man City 3-0 (26/1)*

Besides, his performances this season have even put him in the conversation of world football's best central defender alongside Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos.

If he can continue his form at Liverpool in 2018-19 then the sky's the limit.

Do you think Van Dijk is the best defender in world football? Have your say in the comments section below.

*Odds subject to change