Virgil showed class at Celtic

EVEN in the early days of Virgil van Dijk’s Celtic career, I would look at the Premier League in England and think there were no better centre backs than him. I have had the privilege of watching Liverpool’s star defender since he arrived in Glasgow from Dutch side Groningen in 2013. Straight away, he displayed all the attributes I saw on Monday night during his commanding performance at Crystal Palace. He was physically imposing, had a brilliant range of passing and was comfortable stepping in and driving forward when there was space. He looked every bit a Premier League defender, but this time three years ago I was criticised for arguing that Celtic should be demanding a fee of £20million for him. John Stones was the subject of a similar bid from Chelsea at the time but I thought Van Dijk was just as good. In the end, Southampton signed him for £13m. Even then, it looked an absolute snip. That he was not snapped up sooner only highlighted the ignorance of clubs in the Premier League. The sides who looked at Van Dijk and rejected him were not judging the player but the league he played in. Van Dijk was not the finished article at Celtic. He sometimes had a tendency to coast in games and could not always keep concentration for the whole 90 minutes. He has always played with a confident strut but that does not mean he is lazy. He is a graceful player who oozes class. Since arriving at Anfield in January, he has transformed Liverpool’s defensive unit beyond recognition. Liverpool’s Premier League rivals who had a chance to sign him from Celtic will be kicking themselves for not taking him seriously.