It is safe to say that Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the best defenders of his generation ever since moving to Liverpool. There he has won both the Champions League and the Premier League. And this season has shown how important he is to Jurgen Klopp’s team as they have struggled badly without him as he has been out with an injury. Before reaching those lofty heights though, the Dutch international was playing for Celtic.
It was at Parkhead that Van Dijk first made his mark on the European stage. His performances quickly caught the attention of clubs around Europe and after two seasons with the Hoops, he ended up moving to Southampton in 2015 for a transfer fee believed to be around £13 million.
Celtic have had their worries in defence in recent times with the club’s defenders struggling for both form and fitness. But could they already have the answer to their problems.
Ross County manager, John Hughes, believes Leo Hjelde, who is currently on loan at the club from the Hoops, is going to be the next Van Dijk. As reported by BBC, he said:
"“Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk – trust me on that.“The quality he has shown, the physical challenge, playing real men’s football and standing up to it – it’s been a wonderful experience for Leo.“Before he came, Leeds United were after him. I think he had to sign an extension to his contract for the loan to go through.”"
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Could Hjelde be the next great defender for Celtic?
Unfortunately, the Virgil van Dijk comparisons do not stop just there. In fact, Southampton are believed to keeping tabs on Hjelde. He is believed to currently have a contract with the Hoops till the summer of 2022.
At 17 years of age, it might be a bit too early to predict how good Hjelde can become but the signs have certainly been very promising till now. Since moving to Ross County in January, he has already made 9 appearances for them.
It will be interesting to see whether he has a role to play at Parkhead next season because the club could be short of options in defence soon, with Kristoffer Ajer being linked with a move away in the summer and Shane Duffy’s loan spell also set to come to an end.