How close Van Dijk is to John Terry as the PL's top-scoring defender as Liverpool captain moves up to second
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Virgil van Dijk moved up to joint-second place in the Premier League all-time top scoring defenders on Saturday after heading home for Liverpool against West Ham.The Reds’ captain has been in fine form recently and found the net for the third time this season with a well-directed header in the first-half.Boasting a strong claim to be the best defender the Premier League has ever seen, Van Dijk has now scored 28 times for Liverpool and Southampton in the division, with only Chelsea legend John Terry having struck more. Change my mind: Frimpong is now Liverpool’s best right winger He did more in 13 minutes vs West Ham than Salah did all game 😶 Photo Credit: Getty Images/Dan Mullan Van Dijk still some way off TerryVan Dijk’s goal against West Ham moved him level with former Bolton and Chelsea stopper Gary Cahill as the Premier League’s second top goalscoring defender of all-time.With at least another season to come at Liverpool, it would be a surprise if the Dutchman did not surpass Cahill into second-place outright.Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty ImagesHowever, Van Dijk still sits a little way behind Terry, who hit a remarkable 41 Premier League goals for the Blues.The Liverpool captain may well play on beyond the end of his current contract in 2027, but even if he does, he is unlikely to score 14 more times.After joining Southampton in 2015, Van Dijk is now in his 12th season in the Premier League.
Taking away the full campaign he missed with a serious knee injury, he is finding the net at a rate of 2.5 league goals per season.At that rate, the Reds’ No. 4 would have to play on for a further five seasons at least to have any hope of taking Terry’s top spot.
It isn’t going to happen, but it’ll take some doing for someone to better him as the best of the rest.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox