Back to the Southampton Newsfeed

Premier League giants 'weren't BRAVE enough' and 'kept making excuses' not to sign Virgil van Dijk when he was at Celtic because 'doing it in Scotland didn't mean a lot', claims former club scout

Premier League clubs weren't brave enough to sign Virgil van Dijk sooner, despite the defender standing out like a sore thumb, according to former Celtic scout David Moss.

Van Dijk has been hailed as one of the world's greatest centre-backs after resolving Jurgen Klopp's defensive woes and guiding Liverpool to Champions League glory and their first Premier League title in 30 years.

So, it is surprising that the Dutchman wasn't snatched up by the Premier League's giants earlier than his 2018 move to Anfield.

Virgil van Dijk (left) has become one of the best defenders in the world since joining Liverpool

But it has now been revealed that a number of top-flight clubs enquired about the 30-year-old while he was impressing at Parkhead but they continuously found excuses to avoid signing him.