Liverpool fans may be delighted that their prayers have been answered with the Reds finally landing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, but the Dutch centre-half could have arrived at Anfield a lot earlier, according to former Reds manager Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers, now manager of Celtic, van Dijk's old team, had the Netherlands international on his radar during his stint as Liverpool manager between 2012 and 2015, but never pulled the trigger on a move for the defender, under advice from his scouts.
Speaking to Sky Sports in February, Rodgers said, "Virgil van Dijk could have jumped from Celtic to Liverpool. Some clubs will want to see the players tested at certain arenas first.
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"But if there is enough belief in the player then that counts. The key for scouting is trying to predict when the player is peaking.
"You could see with Van Dijk that he was quick, strong, good on the ball and decent in the air. So what more do you need to see?
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"You could see him playing international football and, okay, clubs may want to see him in Champions League. There is maybe an issue with scouts.
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"When I was at Liverpool I asked about Van Dijk and he was at Groningen and then at Celtic. But I was told he wouldn't be for us at the time."
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Van Dijk's £75 million move to Liverpool from Southampton makes the Dutchman the most expensive defender in football history. Rodgers and his scouting team could have saved the Reds a few quid.
(H/T Sky Sports)
Topics: Football News, Football, Celtic FC, Premier League, Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool FC