Liverpool under-sold £500k star as Carragher compares him to Van Dijk

The performances of Conor Coady at Wolves have drawn praise from Jamie Carragher, who reckons one aspect of the defender’s game compares to Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool let Coady leave Anfield in 2014 when he moved to Huddersfield in a deal worth just £500,000, before he joined Wolves a year later for a bargain £2million.

In his five years at Molineux, the 27-year-old defender has played a key role in their promotion from the Championship and subsequent success in the Premier League – and Carragher believes his passing range is as good as Van Dijk.

He told Sky Sports: “Conor Coady has also done brilliantly for Wolves; he has not missed a minute this season and is probably as good as anyone alongside Van Dijk in terms of passing from the back.”

While Carragher stopped short of saying Liverpool made a mistake allowing him to leave for such a small fee, Coady’s performances this season will quite likely ensure he’s targeted by some bigger clubs.

Coady, however, penned a long-term deal at Molineux a year ago amid rumours of a possible return to Anfield.

Since then, Liverpool have also been linked with Adama Traore, with the Old Gold forced to place a sky-high price tag on the jeet-heeled winger.

Another man strongly linked with a move away is Diogo Jota with Manchester United said to be lurking. However, the Portuguese star has joked that a potential move to Old Trafford could cause an issue with Bruno Fernandes.

Jota was also asked about his relationship with Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who has done a remarkable job since taking charge at Molineux, and was questioned if, instead of Jose Mourinho, should now be considered the ‘new Special One’.

“No, no, I’m not going to get into that discussion. I leave it to the fans,” he added. “I think that nobody unlearns and Mourinho continues to be an excellent coach, as he used to be for years and years.

“Of course, in such a long career there are always ups and downs. He will know how to get around this.”

Whether Liverpool go back in for Coady remains to be seen, but reports in Spain have indicated the Reds are ready to ‘cast the net’ in a bid to sign a hardened Sevilla centre-half in a potential €70m deal.