Neil Warnock has recalled how he missed out on signing Virgil van Dijk years before the defender joined Liverpool.
Southampton signed Van Dijk from Celtic in 2015, and Warnock has explained how he tried to get Crystal Palace to sign the defender during his time as manager. Warnock, who was manager at Selhurst Park in 2014 in his second stint in charge, has explained how he tried to convince the Eagles hierarchy to sign Van Dijk years before his eventual move to Liverpool.
“I told them why he doesn’t look quick, he reads the game that well that he doesn’t have to break a sweat! I told them that if he was pushed in the Premier League, he’d sprint. We didn’t end up signing him and Southampton picked him up for four or five million and ended up getting 70-odd million for him when Liverpool signed him.