ALL THE RIGHT MOVES
Van Dijk comparisons mean Parkhead is a perfect place for Benkovic to fully flourish
THE deadpan Virgil van Dijk wasn’t predisposed to goofing around much as a Celtic player, so stopped short of performing amusing footwork such as that showcased by Filip Benkovic. The on-loan Leicester City defender has displayed a penchant for breaking into a jig when the Celtic team celebrates with supporters at the end of games.
Otherwise, the comparisons highlighted by Frank McAvennie last week between the world’s most expensive defender and the new cool young customer in the Celtic defence are sound.
They also happen to have given Benkovic a boost much appreciated by the Croatian, who has quickly established himself as a firm favourite at Parkhead after only 11 appearances.
While Celtic was a stepping stone for Van Dijk at 21, Benkovic took more of a stride to the side when joining Celtic at the same age.
The 21-year-old secured his £13million English Premier League move in the summer, from Dinamo Zagreb to Leicester, before being granted a quick release to work with Brendan Rodgers.
But the example of how Van Dijk enhanced his reputation with Celtic before shining for Southampton then moving to Liverpool for £75m is not lost on Benkovic.
‘When people compare me to Van Dijk it makes me proud,’ said Benkovic. ‘It gives me confirmation that I’m doing a good job here. But I know I’m still far away from Van Dijk as a player.
‘I want to work hard and learn from players like him. I watch a lot of his games and one day I want to be at his level. His route — and the one I’m taking now — is the best way for your career.
‘It’s not normal to skip steps if you want to make a good career. If you want to be a big player, you cannot think you are the best right away.
‘You have to realise your own situation. You have to be patient, humble, work hard to take each step to the top.
‘I remember Van Dijk playing for Celtic. In Croatia, they show a lot of Celtic games and I watched him a lot.
‘In two years here, he progressed a lot. For me, he is now the best defender in the world.’
Benkovic’s calmness under pressure — a hallmark of the cruising Dutchman Van Dijk — is just one of the traits being enjoyed by Celtic followers when watching their new centre-half.
The start of Celtic’s season was littered with careless concessions. However, only Hibernian (twice) and RB Leipzig have breached a Celtic goal since Benkovic made his debut in a September stalemate at St Mirren.
‘I try not to be nervous during games,’ said Benkovic. ‘You need to enjoy it and try to play football. Mistakes are normal. It can happen to anyone.
‘We train to play and build our success. You don’t train to be nervous. So I try to be calm. I’ve followed what the fans have said about me a little bit and it makes me happy.
‘The Celtic fans are unbelievable. Everybody asks me about Celtic in Croatia and I say to them: “I can’t describe what it’s like... you have to experience it”.
‘Really, I can’t describe how happy I am to be here at Celtic. I’m so proud and I’m enjoying every second of it.
‘I will take this experience with me for the rest of my life. I really hope that it will be like this until the end of the season as I am enjoying every moment of it. And maybe I will keep dancing... and do some new moves! You never know. It’s more important that we win the games. But when it happens and we play well, I am always happy.’
Three weeks after signing for Leicester, Benkovic was on his way out. That wouldn’t normally sound like a ringing endorsement for the business done by a club.
However, Foxes boss Claude Puel believed Benkovic would be better prepared to become a Leicester City regular via a spell with Celtic compared to watching Harry Maguire play from the bench.
The deal appears to be running smoothly for all parties as the young Croatian plays Europa League football and competes for silverware with Celtic.
‘The manager at Leicester looked at the situation, realised he had a lot of defenders and wanted to give me a chance to play somewhere,’ said Benkovic. ‘I felt the same.
‘I only had one month at Leicester but, in training, I felt good. It was a big difference from the Croatian league and it’s also different to the Scottish, too.
‘But I think I’m on the right track to eventually be part of Leicester’s team.’
A clause in the arrangement allows Leicester to cut short his Scottish stay in January if they are beset by injuries in the defensive department.
Benkovic assures his supporters in Glasgow that both he and his parent club hope that isn’t the case.
On his part, there is the desire to pick up the first of three domestic winners medals this afternoon against Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup final.
‘I don’t know a lot of information about the situation but, for me personally, I really hope and want to be here all season,’ he said.
‘I want to win all the trophies for Celtic. For me, that is priceless. That is why I play football.
‘The manager told me if someone is injured, then maybe I will come back. If someone will ask me then I will try to speak with him. But he said that he also wished that I stay here.
‘Like any footballer, you want to win everything. This club has so many trophies. People expect, the club expects only to win everything. For this kind of club this is normal.
‘It would be special to return to Leicester as a Treble winner.
‘When you bring this to your life, no one can take that away from you in the future.’ By Fraser Mackie