Liverpool defender Van Dijk includes Milan star among most ‘difficult’ opponents | OneFootball

Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk says Milan star Olivier Giroud is among the most difficult opponents he’s ever faced.

Van Dijk was the latest guest of the podcast The Rest is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker and Micah Richards.

The Dutch centre-back was asked to name a few of the toughest opponents he’s faced in his career and included Milan star Giroud among them.

“Lionel Messi is definitely a very difficult opponent; I’d say Erling Haaland, a modern striker. If you give them an inch, they’ll punish you,” said VVD.

“Sergio Aguero didn’t score many goals against us, to be honest, but I played against him at Southampton, and he was always harmful. He could use left and right.

“I’d also mention Olivier Giroud, a link-up player. At the time with Hazard [at Chelsea], he gave him the flick, and he [Giroud] held the ball. He also scored good goals against me. I always felt like he wouldn’t score, but he managed to score.”

Giroud joined Milan from Chelsea in the summer of 2021 and won the Serie A title in his first season at San Siro.

The France international’s contract with Milan expires at the end of the season and he’s expected to join LAFC on a free transfer in June.

The 37-year-old forward has scored 15 goals in 38 matches across all competitions this season, including one in a 3-0 victory over Lecce on Saturday. Before joining the Rossoneri three years ago, Giroud scored 39 goals in 119 games for Chelsea.