Liam Delap snubs Virgil van Dijk as Chelsea ace names hardest opponent - 'Really like him'

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Chelsea striker Liam Delap has snubbed Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as he named Nottingham Forest defender Murillo as his toughest opponent. The former Ipswich forward described picking the Dutchman as a 'stereotypical answer', instead going for the Brazilian stopper.

The 23-year-old has emerged as one of the highest-rated defenders in the Premier League after being at the heart of Forest's success last term. With Murillo at the back, Nuno Espirito Santo guided the City Ground club to Europe, ending their hiatus from being at the table with some of the biggest clubs on the continent.

It is a rare snub for Van Dijk after becoming widely-regarded as one of the modern-day greats in England's top-flight. The 34-year-old has been mentioned in the conversation alongside Premier League icons such as Rio Ferdinand , but the Chelsea talisman doesn't believe he is the toughest he has faced.

“You know who I really like? Murillo, at Forest," said Delap. "I have [played against Van Dijk], but I think that’s the stereotypical answer. Obviously he’s top, but I really like Murillo.”

Murillo has been mooted as a potential defensive addition for some of the Premier League's big six, including Liverpool and Chelsea. And the towering defender hasn't shied away from the question surrounding playing for some of the top-flight's biggest clubs.

Speaking previously, he mentioned playing for the likes of Manchester United , City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal .

He said: “I had the dream of playing in the Premier League and I had that thought. I thought: ‘I’ll go to Nottingham Forest, have a good year and then I’ll go to a big club’. I had that in my head

"I’d choose Manchester City but it would be more difficult for me to be a regular starter given the players they have in their squad.

"There’s City, Arsenal as well, who are fighting for the Premier League title. I wouldn’t discard Liverpool either, it would be a good opportunity for me to show my football in a big club."

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Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand was recently left red-faced when he was tasked with taking a lie detector test to settle the debate over whether he thought Van Dijk was a better defender than him.

Despite the former United defender replying "No" to the polygraph, the results returned a possible lie from the Red Devils icon, much to his dismay.

“The other day, my son was watching a video on YouTube of me," said Ferdinand. "It was 15 minutes long.

“I sat down and watched about nine minutes and I was thinking, 'No one does that. No one plays like that no more.’

“There isn’t any centre-back that I’ve seen in recent years that plays like that."