Virgil van Dijk emphasized the immense potential of Jarell Quansah following the latter’s standout performance in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
Quansah seamlessly filled in for the injured Ibrahima Konate, who sustained a knock during Liverpool’s Europa League triumph over Sparta Prague. Despite his relative youth at 21 years old, Quansah displayed remarkable maturity in thwarting Manchester City’s attacking threats.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Van Dijk lauded Quansah’s contribution, stating, “He’s been important. Every challenge that was thrown his way he dealt with.” This endorsement from one of Liverpool’s defensive stalwarts underscores the high regard in which Quansah is held within the team.
‘He was outstanding again. The sky is the limit. He just needs to stay humble and keep working hard and keep improving.
The 21-year-old responded saying that he is trying ‘to be like Van Dijk.
‘I’ve improved a lot but for me it’s just about improving still. I didn’t have the perfect game but I’m striving to be good and to be like this man next to me.’ Quansah added.
‘We didn’t win the game. We didn’t keep a clean sheet. That’s the mentality you’ve got to have if you want to be a top defender which I’m aspiring to be’ the defender continued.
‘For us the task was to win the game and we had chances in the second half. To come away with a point is not a bad situation so we just have to be positive.
‘The next few weeks we just have to enjoy the ride. If you think back to 12 months ago where we were.
‘Look where we are right now. It’s something we don’t take for granted. Sometimes in life in football these things happen. I want to make sure that we enjoy this as well.’
Following John Stones’ early opener, courtesy of Kevin De Bruyne’s innovative corner kick technique, the hosts were swiftly pegged back by Alexis Mac Allister’s converted penalty.
With the scoreline leveled, Anfield witnessed a resurgence as Liverpool asserted dominance in the second half, but their efforts to secure a winner proved fruitless.
Looking ahead, Liverpool is poised to face Sparta Prague in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 at home on Thursday, while Manchester City is set to host Newcastle in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
