Neil Warnock shares that he told Liverpool man that he could’ve signed him

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Neil Warnock came up against Liverpool last season with his then-Cardiff City side.

Neil Warnock has shared that he told Virgil van Dijk last season that he could have signed the Liverpool man when he was Crystal Palace manager for £6 million.

The 71-year-old, who came up against Liverpool last season with his then-Cardiff side, shared that he was told by his Palace scouting team that Van Dijk ‘wasn’t quick enough’ when he was at Celtic and they felt he couldn’t be judged properly in Scotland.

Since then, it is fair to say that those individuals now have egg on their face because Southampton did decide to sign him from Celtic and after impressing for the South Coast club, he has since gone on to lift the European Cup with Liverpool.

Speaking to The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show on TalkSport (08/01/2020 at 9:50 am), Warnock shared that he told Van Dijk that he could have signed him but he was ‘too slow’, as the Dutchman was already aware of that.

“I think he’s marvellous [Klopp],” Warnock told TalkSport. “He’s the same, win, lose or draw. I mean they don’t lose too many, do they?! I mean he’s same around everyone. Home and away. His smile beams doesn’t it?!

“I remember saying to Van Dijk when we played up there, and he knew I said it, I said ‘I could have signed you, you know!’ and he said, ‘I know, I know’. £6 million at Palace and Tim [scout at Palace] said ‘he was too slow’. He just said that he was ‘too comfortable in Scotland and you couldn’t judge it because he wasn’t very quick’. So he didn’t recommend him. I wonder what he thinks now?!”

When Van Dijk first went to Celtic, he impressed straight away, but because he was playing in Scotland’s top-tier there were not many who were willing to take the risk on him – but Southampton were.

Whilst Liverpool are reaping the rewards for his success, it’s Celtic and the Saints who pushed for him when there were perhaps question marks over his head, as he is now regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.

Nonetheless, that didn’t stop Warnock once comparing Sol Bamba to then soon-to-be Premier League winner, who will be preparing for a Premier League clash against Tottenham on Saturday.