Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for Virgil van Dijk during the last two transfer windows but the Dutch defender could’ve already been at the club.
Former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has revealed that he was eager to sign Van Dijk whilst he was in charge at Anfield but he was warned off a move by the scouts at the club.
Rodgers, who is now manager of Celtic, was interested in signing the centre-back prior to his £2.6m move to Celtic in 2013 as he was a strong and tough defender who was good in the air.
“It’s about where the player is at, at the time of their ability,” the Liverpool Echo quote Rodgers as saying.
“Virgil van Dijk could have jumped from Celtic to a Liverpool. Some clubs will want to see the players tested at certain arenas first.
“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.”
Van Dijk impressed at Celtic in the Champions League and at international level, but despite his wishes, Rodgers was told he wouldn’t be a good fit at the time.
“So what more do you need to see? You could see him playing international football and, okay, clubs may want to see him in Champions League.
“Wanyama left and then made the jump but he was a good player at Celtic, showing up well in the Champions League.
“There is maybe an issue with scouts.
“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.”
Van Dijk is now valued at £40m and is wanted by the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United as well as Liverpool.
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