Liverpool hero Dirk Kuyt says the club captaincy has taken Virgil van Dijk's game to a new level.
Van Dijk will also captain Holland at the Euros this summer.
Kuyt told the Liverpool Echo: "Well first of all, I think it was a very big step for Virgil to take the armband. I think it was a huge honour for him but the way he took it and the way he is doing right now is really excellent.
"He is doing really well, really leading the team but also I think his performances have been spot on. It is true that there were some critics in Holland but nowadays every person in the world, if he is saying something about a certain player - especially a Liverpool player - then you can read it everywhere in the world. So sometimes I think the people who criticise him, I think, especially the fans and Virgil van Dijk, are not taking it too seriously.
"But there was also some criticism from Marco van Basten and some other former players, but you know, I watch Liverpool every game and I have seen Virgil playing every game with the way he came back from a very tough injury, it was good but it is not always easy to back after such an injury and be, in my opinion, the best defender in the world.
"You are getting judged really hard every time and people will judge him, so every little mistake he made, he found himself getting a lot of criticism from a lot of people. But in my opinion he didn't do bad, especially after the bad injury but this season, for the first moment, he has been spot on and he is playing an amazing season I think.
"He is leading this team, wearing the armband but also having very good individual performances as well. You know Liverpool is still on top of the league, challenging for a lot of trophies and doing really well. I think a lot of that is down to him. The team is doing really well, pushing really hard and even seeing the circumstances of finding a lot of injuries they are still pushing and never giving up."
