Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher does not rank himself among the best centre-backs in the Premier League era.
Carragher played for the Reds from 1996 to 2013 after graduating from the youth academy.
Standing 6ft tall, he was smaller than most centre-halves but went on to become one of the most revered in the country.
He won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool but the Premier League title eluded the defender.
Although widely regarded as one of the club’s finest centre-backs following the glittering 1970s and 1980s sides, Carragher has a humble view of his capabilities.
The Sky Sports pundit showed as much during a Twitter discussion on Monday afternoon.
Responding to a post asking fans to rank their top five Liverpool centre-backs of the Premier League era, Carragher responded: “VVD, Sami, Agger, Henchoz, Matip!”
Carragher has not hidden is adoration of Virgil van Dijk, who was named UEFA Player of the Year as he led Liverpool to the 2018/19 Champions League.
Prior to that triumph in June, Carragher said: “I think you need a few medals to be able to say [he’s the best in the world].
“But at the moment, is there a centre-back in the world playing better than Virgil van Dijk is doing now? If there is one, I haven’t seen him.”
Sami Hyypia was Carragher’s partner at the heart of defence for 10 years, the Finn complimenting his partner’s aggressive style with a superb positional sense.
Daniel Agger was cut from a more hard-hitting cloth than his Scandinavian friend and almost collected a top-flight medal in the 2013/14 season after Carragher retired.
Stephane Henchoz was a regular for the Reds after joining from Blackburn and Carragher played alongside the Swiss under Gerard Houllier.
Joel Matip has rocketed in Carragher’s estimations after forming a strong partnership with Van Dijk and, with a Champions League medal to his name, completes the list.