Pat Nevin says that he advised West Ham United manager David Moyes to sign Virgil van Dijk for Manchester United when the Liverpool defender was still at Celtic.
Moyes, who was appointed the West Ham manager in November 2017, was the United boss from the summer of 2013 until April 2014.
Van Dijk joined Celtic from Groningen in the summer of 2013 and was on the books of the Glasgow giants for two seasons before moving to Southampton in the Premier League.
Liverpool signed the 26-year-old Netherlands international central defender from Southampton in the January transfer window for a fee reported by BBC Sport to be worth £75 million.
Former Chelsea and Scotland international winger Nevin, who now works as a pundit for BBC Sport, has revealed that he advised current West Ham boss Moyes to sign Van Dijk for United when he was still at Celtic.
Inside Futbol quotes Nevin as saying: “When Moyes was at Manchester United – and he is a great friend of mine – I went to him and said, ‘Get Van Dijk from Celtic. He will only cost you £10m and he’s fabulous’. And he didn’t do it. I think everyone now agrees he’s a bit special.”
Opportunity missed
Van Dijk was superb during his time at Celtic, and the 26-year-old has been a brilliant signing for Liverpool since his switch from Southampton in the January transfer window.
The Dutchman would have a great signing for United and would have helped them get closer to city-rivals Manchester City.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
