Van Dijk may be the benchmark but Filip is just aiming to continue his progression

Filip Benkovic says he is flattered by comparisons with Virgil van Dijk, and hopes following a similar pathway can lead him to an equally-successful conclusion.

Liverpool’s £75-million defender moved to Celtic Park from his native Holland, and was there two years before going south to become one of the leading lights of the English Premier League.

While Benkovic’s situation differs slightly in that he arrived in the east end of Glasgow on loan from Leicester City, former Hoops hero Frank McAvennie has predicted he can go on to a likewise storied career.

The Croat appears humbled by the praise, saying: “When people compare me to van Dijk – for me now the best defender in the world – it makes me proud.

“It gives me confirmation that I’m doing a good job here. But at the same time, I know I’m still far away from him 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 can’t think you’re best right away.

“You have to realise your own situation. You have to be patient, humble and 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 on there, and on YouTube.

“In two years here, he progressed a lot. I hope to do the same.”

With Benkovic (right) having cost Leicester a not inconsiderable fee of £13m, Foxes manager Claude Puel has been keeping a close eye on his player to make sure he does just that.

So far, anyway, the verdict has been positive.

“The Leicester manager told me that if someone is injured, maybe then I will come back.

“He also told me that he wanted me to stay here.

“Like any footballer, you want to win everything you can. I really hope to stay here until the end of the season and win all the trophies.

“To go back to Leicester as a Treble winner would be special. You bring this to your life and no one can take that away from you in the future.

“This club has so many trophies. People expect, and the club expects, only to win everything. For this kind of club, this is normal.

“If we all do hard work and are honest to ourselves, the team, the coach and the fans, then I think we can keep going.

“But we must look at this day by day. We can’t be looking too far ahead.” A precocious calmness under pressure is a hallmark of Benkovic’s play, and the 21-year-old insists he will not be fazed by today’s final, having had experience of showpiece occasions back home.

“I was involved in a couple of cup finals for my old club, Dynamo Zagreb, in 2016 and 2018,” he said.

“That was a great experience for me because we won both of them, against Slaven Belupo and Hajduk Split.

“The cup finals are big in Croatia. For the cities, it’s really important to win those trophies.

“There’s big pressure, but eventually you get used to it and it becomes normal.

“The final against Hadjuk Split was played at a neutral stadium in Vinkovci.

“It is a big derby over there, and Hadjuk fans are a bit crazy. But those are the games you want to play in.”