"I remember being told... [he] made too many mistakes" - Pat Nevin on how 2 Premier League giants didn't sign Van Dijk before Liverpool switch

Pat Nevin has claimed that Manchester United and Chelsea refused to sign Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk when he was at Celtic. The pundit also claimed that the two English giants felt Van Dijk was too error-prone.

Van Dijk is arguably the best center-back in the world, a title he's earned for his exploits at Anfield over the years. The Netherlands international played an instrumental role in the club's success under Jurgen Klopp.

He famously went through the 2018-19 season without being dribbled past by any opposition player, a record that he maintained for 50 Premier League games.

The Dutch defender began his career in his home country, joining Eredivisie side FC Groningen in 2010 and making his professional debut for the club a year later.

He then joined Celtic in 2013 and spent two years at the club, winning the Premiership twice and the Scottish League Cup, before moving to the Premier League to join Southampton and subsequently Liverpool.

Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin has now claimed that the west Londoners and Manchester United were unwilling to pay £10 million to secure his services when he was at Celtic. He said (via Chelsea News):

“I remember being told by Manchester United and Chelsea that Virgil van Dijk made too many mistakes – but that’s because he was bored."

"He ended up at Southampton and then Liverpool but teams didn’t want to pay the £10million when he was at Celtic.”

If his claims are true, the two English giants certainly missed out on an absolute bargain for one of the world's best center-backs.

Spurs mascot reveals how Liverpool star Van Dijk replied after being asked to join Tottenham before Carabao Cup clash

A Tottenham Hotspur mascot has revealed that he asked Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to join Spurs before the two sides locked horns in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday (January 8).

The first leg saw the Merseysiders slip to a 1-0 defeat, with Lucas Bergvall scoring the match-winner (86'). The goal sparked some controversy, with multiple Liverpool players, including Van Dijk, protesting that Bergvall should've received a second yellow before scoring.

While tensions rose towards the end of the match, Van Dijk apparently wasn't happy before kick-off, with a Spurs mascot who asked him to join the Lilywhites. The mascot apologized for his comment and said (via Rousing The Kop):

"I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier, I’m sorry for my actions because we’ve got Archie Gray and Dragusin! I don’t really know [what he said] but he didn’t seem very happy!"