Virgil van Dijk in Scotland #2: 🗣️ 'Arsenal rang... I said: What are you ringing me for? He's ready'

A deceptively languid style and snobbery about the Scottish game meant the Dutchman was underrated abroad — which was good news for Celtic

Welcome to part II of award-winning sportswriter Stephen McGowan’s investigation series into Celtic’s two-year love affair with Virgil van Dijk. Yesterday, we heard about the Parkhead club’s extraordinary capture of the 21-year-old Van Dijk from Dutch club Groningen.

In Part II today, Celtic’s former football development manager John Park and ex-teammate Charlie Mulgrew reflect on Van Dijk’s special talent, and how his being underrated abroad was good news for then Celtic manager Neil Lennon. In tomorrow’s final part, John Hughes reveals how he achieved an unlikely Inverness Scottish Cup victory over Ronny Deila’s Celtic and star man Virgil.

Parts II and III are for paid subscribers. Been waiting for right moment to support our indie journalism? Then sign up for our Nutmeg season ticket offer now…

By Stephen McGowan

A dressing room with Scott Brown, Mikael Lustig, Joe Ledley, Kris Commons and Anthony Stokes was never likely to be quiet. It was an old-school British culture in which players were expected to take a joke at their own expense, and John Park remembers Virgil van Dijk arriving at Celtic with a “football arrogance”.

Yet pitched into a new environment where the people spoke English a little faster than they did on the BBC, Van Dijk adapted brilliantly.

“Scotland probably helped him with that because we’re not shy in having a giggle in the dressing room here,” recalls former teammate Charlie Mulgrew.

“We’ll wind players up, regardless of who they are, and he took that really well. Regardless of how good you are over here every player is treated the same. And big Virgil always got himself involved. He was comfortable with it.

“There was a whisper that his attitude hadn’t been great at his club in Holland. But he was completely fine with us, he was confident in his own ability, but no more than that.”