Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr will be hoping to emulate Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk one day.
Van Dijk is arguably the best centre-back to have ever played in the Premier League and has enjoyed much success in England.
The Dutchman has won two league titles as well as a Champions League trophy. They are feats that Sarr will want to achieve at Chelsea.
Is Mamadou Sarr ready for his Premier League debut?
He has not been in England for long, but Sarr has already captured the attention of some after an impressive performance against Hull City in the FA Cup last Friday. However, his display that night would not have surprised some of his former teammates.
Virgil van Dijk celebrates Liverpool's win against West Ham in the Premier League.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Mamadou Sarr’s former youth teammates claim he can tackle without moving his leg
According to The Sun, many of the players Sarr used to play alongside at youth level labelled him Van Dijk and still call the 20-year-old that to this day.
The report states that their reasoning is down to their confidence that Sarr can make a tackle without even moving his leg.
Often, you do see Van Dijk winning the ball back with relative ease. If Sarr can become half the defender that the Netherlands international is, Chelsea will be delighted.
After performing so well against Hull, it will be interesting to see what Liam Rosenior does with Sarr against Burnley.
In terms of numbers, the Chelsea manager does have options. Even so, Sarr was still recalled from his loan at Strasbourg, while Chelsea could sign another centre-back like Kim Min-jae in the summer.
Mamadou Sarr of Chelsea during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Hull City and Chelsea
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Mamadou Sarr’s numbers vs Hull
Chelsea’s critics will say it was only Hull, but you cannot overlook Sarr’s statistics from the game.
According to Sofascore, Sarr made seven defensive contributions at the MKM Stadium. In Chelsea’s team, only Wesley Fofana recorded more with 11.
Sarr also won three out of four aerial duels, but what was really impressive was his passing.
The Senegal international completed 101 out of 103 passes, giving him a pass success rate of 98%. He only misplaced two passes and also managed to create one big chance.
Rate Mamadou Sarr’s performance vs Hull City from 1️⃣-🔟
A record holder on your competitive Chelsea debut!
Mamadou Sarr breaks Chelsea record on debut vs Hull City
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Van Dijk comparisons are premature and are just his ex-teammates hyping him up. But Sarr does have huge potential.
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