When Celtic signed Virgil van Dijk from Eredivisie outfit Groningen for £2.6m, no one knew what to expect.
The 6ft 4 centre-back was a Netherlands under-21 international, and certainly looked the part. However, few fans had actually seen him play, and some were quick to mention this.
But the majority of supporters were very excited by this signing. They latched onto the buzz around the player by pundits and Celtic management, and knew that this was going to be a big signing.
In his native country, he had already established himself as a mainstay in the Groningen squad despite his age, and was looking at the next stage of his career. The Scottish champions proved a perfect step to continue his progress, with the towering central defender now the world’s most expensive defender and an absolute giant at Liverpool.
Clearly, from most of the reaction, a lot of Hoops online saw his quality from the getgo, before he came one of the best players in the world and a £75m player.
This is what the fans had to say:
@celticfc man's a monster in #FM13
— Alex Campbell (@Alex1888Celtic) June 21, 2013
@celticfc good times, keep them coming
— Wolfe Tony (@Wolfe_Tony67) 21 June 2013
“@celticfc: Dutch U21 internationalist Virgil van Dijk has signed a 4-year deal with the Scottish Champions. (PC)”
Excellent signing— Liam Power (@BrummieBhoy) 21 June 2013
@celticfc great edition to the squad!
— Jordan Maxwell (@MaxweIl96) 21 June 2013
@celticfc Welcome Virgil to the best club you will EVER play for! #Celticfamily
— Katrina (@LiveLoveCeltic) 21 June 2013
https://twitter.com/yahmpy/status/348086469161779200
@celticfc has any one actually seen this young Dutchman play?
— George mccaffertym (@piltonp) June 21, 2013
