Used to playing in a high defensive line, the Croatia international has the pace to make recovering runs and knows when to take up advanced positions and when to drop back. Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Josko Gvardiol, 20, RB Leipzigįinding a young defender who has the authority of a 30-year-old is hard, yet, despite his age, it's easy to imagine Gvardiol taking on a leadership role at a bigger club than RB Leipzig.

Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been one of the club's best players in recent seasons. Many are not easy to sign, given the fees involved, but even if Liverpool end up disappointed (as they were with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham), these players would be worth pursuing. So, in taking a look at some possible candidates who could be his long-term successor at Anfield, I've considered players who have some of the same skillsets and reasonably similar stats, along with others who still have things to work on or would need to adapt to a different system. His combination of pace, experience, leadership, ability on the ball, aerial dominance, charisma and uncompromising defending is almost impossible to reproduce. Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate for €40m from RB Leipzig in 2021 with an eye on the future, but there's no ready-made replacement out there for Van Dijk.

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