CELTIC go to war tonight in Sweden in a game which will massively shape their season as well as the clubs coffers.
With such a big game on the horizon it was no surprise that some media outlets tried toto sell off Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk before he made it to Malmo. Celtic have rubbished any pre-qualifier deal since.
The player has been subject to heavy speculation all summer and many expect him to leave Celtic after the Champions League qualifiers are done and dusted with Southampton being his likely destination.
However, what I’ve found the most strange through this whole saga is that very few Celtic fans are questioning Virgil’s commitment to the cause once he gets on the pitch and rightly so.
Usually when a player is set to leave or expressed a desire to move on from Celtic many fans turn on the player and suggest they shouldn’t play while they are sorting out their move – not in this instance.
In fact Celtic fans have been more than understanding about the position van Dijk finds himself in and are confident the player will burst a gut tonight in Sweden to try and help Celtic qualify for the group stages. He may not be around if we get there but you can see from the previous qualifiers so far that there is no issue about commitment.
This shows the professionalism of the Dutch defender who this week got a call-up to the Holland squad. His service to Celtic thus far has been phenomenal, cementing himself as one of the best defenders the club have had in the modern day. The way he has dealt with speculation is very much in line with how he has performed on the pitch – calm and self assured.
When we go to war tonight there will be no qualms as van Dijk takes to the field and he will be giving as much as everyone else to get a result. The way it should be.