Celtic didn’t come out of the last transfer window covered in glory but in between all the ‘shoulda’s’ and ‘coulda’s’ there was one person who has stood tall, literally!

A certain defender from Holland who has us reaching for our book of superlatives week after week.

Virgil Van Dijk has been a ray of sunshine in a season where darkness threatened to overshadow Parkhead after the departure of two of our best players.

It has been a strange old season so far. In recent years Celtic have been known for their great forward thinking players who could turn a game on it’s head while defenders have came in for some very heavy criticism – It seems to be the opposite this year.

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Van Dijk gained many admirers in Holland

For the first time in a very long time I am comfortable with our two centre backs, YES, I said two of them. While Efe Ambrose has his critics, since the arrival of Virgil he has looked more calm and assured. Defending well but also playing the ball out of defence when everyone else is shouting “HOOF IT”. He is prone to the odd error but he’s getting better with every game. This is yet another positive from Van Dijks presence in the heart of Celtic’s defence.

A lot of people in Holland were very surprised when Celtic managed to sign the towering centre back, noting his performances and potential playing for FC Groningen should have at least commanded a bigger fee.

Virgil finally managed to get among the goals last week against Ross County scoring a brace in a comfortable win over the highland outfit. Something he had been threatening to do for months but his timing was letting him down. If he continues to progress he will become an asset not only as the solid foundation of our team, but a very potent threat at set pieces.

I hope Celtic resist the urge to sell this Bhoy for a few years yet, his defensive performances have been a joy to watch.

 

 

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