Southampton FC manager Ralph Hasenhuttl insists there is "no reason" why Ghanaian defender Mohammed Salisu cannot become as good as Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk.
Salisu praised the Dutch star van Dijk as one of the world’s best defenders this week and also revealed his aspirations of reaching the same level as the Liverpool man.
Salisu has become an influential figure at Southampton in the Premier League this season having started all but one of 12 top-flight matches so far this campaign.
"It shows you how much he had to learn that it took so long until he was an option for the starting XI," said Southampton boss Hasenhuttl.
"Especially with the ball, he can develop massively.
"When you speak about Van Dijk with his long balls and his calmness on the ball, he still has a way to go. But there’s no reason why he couldn’t learn it.
"A good thing is that in the centre-back position, the older you get, the better you get because of the more experience you get.
"This is definitely a player that showed this season that he deserved to play from the beginning and I’m very happy with his progress."
The former Southampton defender van Dijk left the club for Liverpool for £75million in January 2018 and has since won the Champions League and Premier League.