Few would argue that Virgil van Dijk is one of the very best players in European football today, but not everyone saw the true potential in the Liverpool centre-back.
Since joining the Reds, the Dutchman has won almost every major team honour on offer to him and firmly established himself as one of the most recognisable defenders in the global game, but had staff working on behalf of English management stalwart Neil Warnock had a different perception of the 6ft 4" colossus, he may well have ended up at Crystal Palace.
Before Van Dijk joined Southampton, Warnock - who undertook 18 managerial positions over a 41 year career - was give the opportunity to bring the promising Celtic defender to Selhurst Park. But the move came to nothing after a scout reported back that he was 'too slow'.
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Speaking to the Mirror, Warnock said: "The one that got away from me was Virgil van Dijk. I got offered him when I was at Crystal Palace for £5 million. But my chief scout said he was too slow and he ended up at Southampton instead! It’s a shame because anything he may lack in pace, he makes up for 10-fold in his ability to read the game."
Van Dijk enjoyed three seasons with the Saints before eventually joining Liverpool in 2017 for a club record transfer fee of £75milllion - £70million more than Warnock could have paid for the player. The Reds' number four won the PFA Players' Player of the Season award at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, further demonstrating that any doubts over his apparent lack of pace at Celtic were superseded by a lack of judgement by Warnock's scout when he was available for a relative bargain price.
