English Premier League side Southampton FC manager Ralph Hasenhuttl says there is “no reason” why Ghanaian defender Mohammed Salisu cannot be as good as Liverpool and Dutch star Virgil van Dijk.
According to the German gaffer, the Ghanaian defender has proved himself and could be as successful as his role model, Vigil Van Dijk.
“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 Ghanaian center-back was full of praise of the Dutch defender van Dijk as one of the best defenders in the world this week ahead of the Liverpool – Southampton game and also revealed his desires to play at a high level as the Dutch center-back.
Salisu has become an integral part at Southampton in the Premier League this season having started 11 games out of the 12 played for the saints.