Van Dijk would not have fazed Christensen – Lampard

Matt Stead

Andreas Christensen would have been unfazed by Virgil van Dijk’s arrival at Chelsea, according to Frank Lampard.

Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January for £75million in a club-record move.

But a number of other clubs also targeted the former Southampton centre-half, including Premier League leaders Manchester City and Premier League champions Chelsea.

Lampard insists that even if Van Dijk had joined, Christensen would have provided him competition instead of disappearing.

“Even if Van Dijk had come in, the player Christensen is, he’d have handled anything,” he told the London Evening Standard.

“You put a team around those players even at his age. He wouldn’t have had a problem whoever they signed.

“I trained with him a fair bit when I was still there. We were all very aware of his abilities. He came over to join in senior sessions when he was 16 and was very impressive.

“Some young players were not ready for the increase in speed of the game, to make decisions and choices on the ball when they were invited to join in.

“But even at that young age you could see he had a composure and an awareness about him that made him fit straight in.

“Chelsea take a lot of criticism for loaning players out but Andreas is a perfect example of how it’s done right.

“It is massively important for the academy and the young players to see Christensen in the first team now. He is a great example for everyone.

“The young players can learn from his application. He has shown if you do things right, apply yourself, you will get your chance.”