Pat Nevin claims Manchester United and Chelsea snubbed the chance to poach Virgil van Dijk from Celtic for £13million because he was supposedly too error-prone.
The Dutch superstar made his name at Parkhead after being plucked from FC Groningen in 2013. Van Dijk rarely got out of second gear in Scottish football as he cruised his way through his two years in Glasgow, winning three trophies before sealing a switch to Southampton. Just like he did at Celtic Park, Van Dijk made defending look easy as he stood out against the best the Premier League had to offer, establishing himself as one of the best stoppers in the world.
His colossal form convinced Liverpool to shell out £75million to bring him to Anfield – a record-breaking transfer fee for a defender. Now one of the most famous footballers on the planet, the Champions League and Premier League-winner has become a legend with the Reds, lifting every trophy possible.
But Nevin revealed English rivals Man United and Chelsea turned up their noses on Van Dijk during his time in Scotland. “When it comes to Premier League clubs being unsure over signing players from Scotland, I remember being told by Manchester United and Chelsea that Virgil van Dijk made too many mistakes – but that’s because he was bored”, he told Grosvenor Sport.
“Can you imagine how different things might have been if David Moyes had signed Virgil van Dijk? He ended up at Southampton and then Liverpool but teams didn’t want to pay the £10million when he was at Celtic. Big money moves from Scotland to England are rare because teams are sceptical.”