Virgil van Dijk is still chasing player who got 'loads' of Jose Mourinho dressing downs

Jose Mourinho once infamously labelled Robert Huth 's***', but the former Chelsea defender is still being chased down by - as the German has one more title that he does. During his time on the pitch, not only did Huth achieve great success, but he also experienced the rigorous coaching style of .

Huth recently spoke about his time with the 'Special One' to Ladbrokes, as he said: "If you didn't meet his standards, he'd give you a chance, and then he'd give you another chance, but by that point if you made a mistake, your time was up. That was the environment he created, and he's the reason Chelsea became so successful. He laid those foundations and those expectations for the club, every single day. It wasn't just about what we did on a Saturday, it was every day of your life as a Chelsea player, it was about meeting his standards."

Huth also expressed admiration for Mourinho's straightforward approach, adding: "I loved him, to be honest. I thought he was great - he was very black or white. It's hard to think of many times I got especially positive feedback from him, he wasn't really one to dish those sort of things out. He was tough.

"I think I'd have had to have scored six goals in a game to get something positive out of him. But on the other side of things, he had no problem analysing your individual performance. 'That was s***, that was s***, that was s***!' and then he'd talk you through your mistakes and how you could improve.

"I had one too many meetings where he told me I was bad. But it's a trait that was needed back in the day, and it's not something everyone can deal with."

After making his debut at Stamford Bridge in 2002, Huth went on to secure consecutive Premier League titles with Chelsea in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons before transferring to Middlesbrough. Following a three-year spell in the north east, Huth joined Stoke City from 1009 to 2015, before moving to Leicester City.

It was during his time in the Midlands that Huth secured his third and final Premier League title under the guidance of Claudio Ranieri in the 2015/16 season, before hanging up his boots in 2018. If Van Dijk aspires to cement his legacy as one of the Premier League's most decorated centre-backs, he'll need to clinch another league title or two in the next couple of seasons.

The 33-year-old joined Liverpool in a £75million deal from Southampton in 2018 and won his first league title under Jurgen Klopp the following year. His second Premier League triumph came last Sunday under Arne Slot's leadership, as Liverpool demolished Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 to secure the title at Anfield with four games to spare, after ensuring Arsenal couldn't overtake them.

Despite uncertainty surrounding his future at the club during much of the 2024/25 season - due to his contract set to end in the summer - a two-year extension signed in April guarantees that the club captain will stay at Anfield until at least 2027. And he could may well surpass Huth in terms of Premier League titles won if the next two years go Liverpool's way.