Brighton & Hove Albion's Jean Paul van Hecke has heaped praised on Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk and labelled his Netherlands teammate as "incredible" and "almost unbeatable".

Van Dijk is regarded as one of the best defenders in Premier League history for his performances across the last decade. The 33-year-old moved down to England from Scottish side Celtic in September 2015 when he joined Ronald Koeman's Southampton for a reported £13million fee.

He spent two-and-a-half years on the south coast, establishing himself among the elite in the top flight before securing a blockbuster £75m move to Liverpool. Since his switch to Anfield, Van Dijk has achieved a lot, winning the Premier League, Champions League and countless other major trophies.

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Van Dijk's impact on the Liverpool team is priceless and he is still performing at the highest level on a week-to-week basis despite turning 33 last July. It doesn't look like Van Dijk's form is going to drop anytime soon either, with the former Groningen man churning out impressive performances for the Reds.

In an interview for Sky Sports, Brighton duo van Hecke and Lewis Dunk were asked to name who is better: John Terry or Van Dijk. The debate is a little skewed due to the fact both defenders played in different eras, but Van Hecke and Dunk didn't unsurprisingly give the same answer.

Van Hecke said: "I think Van Dijk – he’s incredible. It feels like he’s still in his prime. He’s almost unbeatable. You can’t take him on, he’ll catch you. But when I was younger I watched John Terry."

Childhood Chelsea fan Dunk responded: "He's who I watched growing up, so I’m picking John Terry. But [Van Dijk] is still incredible. [Terry] was still technical though, he used to hit [diagonal passes] with his left foot.

"He'd [Terry] definitely be one of the best centre-backs now. His mentality for me is incredible. If you see him going into blocks," Van Hecke added.

Van Dijk has started every Premier League fixture for the Reds this season as Arne Slot's side push for the title. They sit six points clear of second-place Arsenal with a game in hand.