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Van Dijk won two league titles at Celtic, before heading down south to the Premier League(Image: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Since his move to Liverpool over seven years ago, Virgil van Dijk has earned a reputation as one of the top defenders worldwide.

The former Celtic man has an impressive haul of eight trophies under his belt at Anfield, including the Premier League and Champions League, not to mention securing the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

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Aside from the team achievements, Van Dijk has gathered several respected individual accolades, showing that the £75million spent by Liverpool to bring him from Southampton in January 2018 was a worthwhile investment.

Throughout his time at Liverpool, he's consistently displayed formidable resilience and composure.

Even at the outset of his big career move to Celtic from Groningen in 2013 when he was only 21, Van Dijk's leadership and elite prowess were unmistakable.

The Dutchman made a name for himself with the Hoops between 2013 and 2015, lifting two Scottish Premierships and a League Cup before making the move to Southampton.

His abilities were immediately apparent to Eoghan O'Connell, a former colleague at Parkhead who appeared with Van Dijk in central defence during a 1-1 draw with Ross County back in March 2014.

A young and impressionable 18-year-old at the time, O'Connell praised Van Dijk's reassuring presence on the pitch shortly after the game.

"He's tremendous and he makes the game look easy most of the time," O'Connell recalled in an interview with The Herald.

"Even in the Champions League games he was arguably the best player on the pitch.

The way he plays the game is beyond his years.

"You have to look at him as an example, the way he's progressed through the season has been fantastic."

Eoghan O'Connell played for Celtic alongside Van Dijk(Image: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)

The praise from O'Connell, who now plays for Wrexham in League One, remains relevant.

Van Dijk's composure on the ball and his dedication to nurturing young talent have become hallmarks of his time at Anfield.

Jarell Quansah, one of the young players benefiting from Van Dijk's mentorship, expressed his gratitude for the Dutch defender's guidance after being selected for England manager Thomas Tuchel's first team.

"He's lived my career," Quansah told the BBC last week.

"He's been a young centre-half, made mistakes, and then reached the pinnacle, the very top of football, and been one of the best centre-halves that we've seen.

Jarell Quansah has talked about Virgil van Dijk's impact on his career(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

"He can resonate a lot with me and, anything he can do to help me, he's trying to do and I'm grateful for that.

It's all valuable information that I take from him."

Following Liverpool's Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle on Sunday, Van Dijk's sportsmanship was evident as he made a point of congratulating each member of the victorious team, despite the 2-1 loss.

Meanwhile, speculation continues around Van Dijk's future at Anfield, with rumours of a possible move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Van Dijk's contract is due to expire in the summer, potentially weakening Liverpool's negotiating stance.

His significant contribution to their pursuit of the Premier League crown has been pivotal, with the team outpacing Arsenal by 12 points and sitting comfortably atop the league standings.


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