Former PEC Zwolle coach John van 't Schip believes Manchester City defender Philippe Sandler could develop into a better player than Virgil van Dijk if he manages to play regular football.
The 22-year-old defender is set to join Anderlecht on a loan deal from Manchester City and will play under the tutelage of Citizens legend Vincent Kompany next season.
Manchester City have decided against including a purchase option in the agreement, a sign of the club’s confidence in the youngster’s talent.
They signed the defender from Zwolle last year, but a knee injury stopped him from making more than two senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side in the 2018/19 campaign.
However, the Dutchman was often compared with Van Dijk when he was coming through in the Netherlands.
And his former club coach Van 't Schip, who coached Sandler at Zwolle and recommended him to Manchester City, feels he could develop into a better player than the Liverpool defender if he gets to play regular football in the coming years.
He told Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws when asked about comparisons with the Reds star: “That is hard to say.
“Van Dijk has, of course, has achieved a lot at Groningen, Celtic, Southampton and Liverpool.
“But if he plays [regular] football, Phillippe might become better.
“He only needs to improve defensively and with one step at a time, he needs to further develop.”
Sandler will hope to play more football at Anderlecht and return a better player to Manchester City next year.
