Virgil van Dijk will be following in the footsteps of one of his childhood heroes on Sunday - and the respect between the pair is mutual.
League leaders Liverpool make their second visit to Old Trafford in the space of three weeks, with Reds skipper Van Dijk hoping for a better result than Liverpool's 4-3 defeat in the FA Cup quarter-final last month.
Manchester United put aside indifferent Premier League form to win that game and secure a spot in the last four, but Van Dijk and co will renew their focus as they seek what would be a huge three points in the title race.
One person sure to be keeping a keen eye on the clash is the former United defender Jaap Stam, a Premier League and Champions League winner during his three years at Old Trafford either side of the turn of the century.
Stam's success with the Red Devils often ensures that his name crops up when the very best defenders in Premier League history are listed, and when he appeared on The Overlap alongside former United teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright, in December, the Dutchman was asked which defender from Premier League history he'd pick to be his perfect partner.
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Jaap Stam has heaped praise on Virgil van Dijk (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)"I’d keep it Dutch, I’d play alongside Virgil van Dijk," he explained. "It would be a good partnership. I like the others [Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and John Terry ], but Virgil is a very good player."
Elaborating on harsh criticism Van Dijk sometimes faces in his homeland, Stam said: "The thinking is the communication, his coaching, his leadership, is not doing enough on the pitch. They think he needs to do more, especially when the team is not playing well, that he needs to be the player to tell them what to do and put them in position so they can make a difference.
"They say he's not doing that and I find that hard to see that on the pitch, from the television. I think he's trying to but I don't know if it is fair, to be honest."
Van Dijk is also a big fan of his fellow Dutchman (Expedia)Read the full exclusive interview with Virgil van Dijk here
Now, speaking after being announced as an ambassador for Expedia, Van Dijk has responded to praise from his fellow countryman.
“Growing up as a young defender watching the national team, Jaap Stam was ‘The Rock’," he said. "He was always there, he was intimidating, when you looked at him on TV it felt like he was almost three metres tall!
"And he’d run through a brick wall and still be fine. It would have been a pleasure to play with him. He was an incredible defender, a huge name in world football, and hopefully I can be the same.”
Van Dijk has been at Liverpool for six years (Expedia)
The Dutchman has been in superb form this season (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Elaborating on Sunday's trip to Old Trafford, Van Dijk added: “It’s always a very tough game, an intense battle.
Watch the full exclusive interview with Virgil van Dijk here
"You think of the history of the club, the results, the games that they’ve played and the successes that both clubs have had in the history of football. It won’t be any different on Sunday, it will be a tough one again, but we’ll give it everything we have and see what we can get out of it.”
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Virgil van Dijk is an ambassador for Expedia. His Liverpool travel guide and the Finding Liverpool content series are on Expedia Live
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