Jarell Quansah has been a revelation for Liverpool this year, and he has revealed how he aims to learn from “everything” Virgil van Dijk does.
It is a dream position for any youngster to be in, learning from Van Dijk with the world at your feet.
The way the Dutchman carries himself has been exemplary at Liverpool and, as captain, his leadership has continued to influence others in the squad.
Having been at the club since the age of five, Quansah has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, playing 18 times for the first team this season.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, with quotes via Liverpoolfc.com, Quansah spoke about how he absorbs “everything” Van Dijk does.
The 21-year-old said: “Everything he [Van Dijk] does on and off the pitch, you’ve got to look at it, you’ve got to take it in.
“As well as the stuff he does off the pitch, on the pitch he marshals you through it, he talks. I think just having that next to you, you can’t do much wrong with just learning off him and seeing what he’s doing.”
Having spent the second half of last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, learning from then manager Joey Barton, the step-up to Liverpool’s first team was massive.
Quansah has made the transition incredibly smoothly, though, with his Liverpool mentors no doubt having more influence than his loan manager did.
The young centre-back is now facing the prospect of being a part of a squad challenging on four fronts for trophies.
It is something that has brought him extra game time as well as hunger for success. He added: “It’s always hard to just stay level-headed and take each game as it comes.
“At the end of the day, we’re in a final. A player’s football career is only short, so you only get a limited number [of chances] to try to win these trophies.
“If you’re in the hat for all the games and all the competitions, you might as well go for every title – and that’s what we’re going to do this season.”
With the ability to play on both sides of the defence, Quansah has proven himself more than a mere back-up to be cast aside in the summer.
With Van Dijk as a mentor, he has all the capabilities to have a long, hopefully trophy-laden Liverpool career.
