Brendan Rodgers has revealed that he was advised by scouts that Virgil van Dijk was not the right defender for Liverpool during his time at the Merseyside club.
The Northern Irishman, who is now in charge of Celtic, spent three-and-a-half years as Liverpool boss, eventually being replaced with Jurgen Klopp.
During Rodgers's spell between 2012 and 2015, he wanted Van Dijk, who is now at Southampton, but the Reds' scouts said that he was not ready for a switch to Anfield.
The Dutchman is now believed to be rated between £40m and £50m after becoming an integral part of the back line at St Mary's.
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He has been linked to Liverpool, as well as Manchester City and Chelsea, ahead of what could be a busy summer transfer window.
Rodgers has revealed that Van Dijk could have already been a Liverpool player had the Merseyside club sanctioned the move.
“It’s about where the player is at, at the time of their ability. Virgil van Dijk could have jumped from Celtic to a Liverpool. Some clubs will want to see the players tested at certain arenas first. But if there is enough belief in the player then that counts. The key for scouting is trying to predict when the player is peaking.
“You could see with van Dijk that he was quick, strong, good on the ball and decent in the air. So what more do you need to see? There is maybe an issue with scouts. When I was at Liverpool I asked about van Dijk and he was at Groningen and then at Celtic. But I was told he wouldn’t be for us at the time.”
Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to give their thoughts on the revelation, with some choosing to criticise the club's scouts, while others took aim at Rodgers.
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