Though there have been some question marks over his form this season, there is no doubting that Virgil van Dijk remains one of, if not the world's premier center back. How, then, did it take him so long to earn himself a move to one of Europe's elite clubs?
Van Dijk was 26 when he joined Liverpool in January 2018, having had spells at Celtic and Southampton following his departure from boyhood club Groningen in the Netherlands.
Clearly there was something that scouts and coaches were seeing in Van Dijk during his development that they did not like, even if they were being advised that the Dutchman truly was the real deal.
MORE: Ex-star says Liverpool's Salah is best in the world
One of those who used to sing Van Dijk's praises to those interested in signing him was David Moss, who was overseeing Celtic's senior scouting department when they signed the defender in 2013.
Moss, a former midfielder in both England and Scotland, was regularly sought out for reports on Van Dijk from the great and good of the game while the 30-year-old was impressing at Parkhead.
Eventually Southampton bit, paying just $17 million to bring Van Dijk south in 2015. Three years later, he would be transferred for over six times that amount to Liverpool.
"With Van Dijk, we signed him from Groningen in Holland," Moss recalled to GOAL. "Our player trading model was the only way we could make money, so we would actively look to sell players to the Premier League after two or three years. That was a success for both us and them.
"When he was at Celtic, the number of Premier League clubs that used to phone me and ask about Van Dijk was huge. I always said the same things to everyone: ‘He is like a grown man playing in a children’s playground — he stands out like a sore thumb. Just sign him immediately, don’t think about it.'
MORE: Liverpool's Klopp a big fan of West Ham forward
"He was fast, won all his headers, you couldn’t beat him one-v-one, he could pass 60 yards on both feet and he scored free kicks. Incredibly, I kept getting excuses. They were often about his performances in the Champions League or that doing it in the Scottish league didn’t mean a lot, and people wouldn’t listen.
"Everyone inside Celtic had total belief in him, but a lot of people in football didn’t. For me, he didn’t need the Southampton step. He was ready for a big six move straight from Celtic. They just weren’t brave enough to bring him in."
