Friday, 21st June, 2013
New Celtic signing Virgil van Dijk has cut a delighted figure upon signing for the Scottish champions and insisted he is looking forward to Champions League football.
The Dutch Under-21 international has been snapped up by the Scottish heavyweights today, and the former Groningen defender has penned a four-year deal with the Hoops.
Speaking at his first press conference as a Celtic player, he expressed his admiration for the club and also hailed them as the biggest in Scotland.
"Celtic is a great club, the biggest in Scotland and play in the Champions League”, Van Dijk said.
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"Celtic is famous in Europe. I watch Champions League all the time and saw Celtic, and the game against Barcelona was a famous one [last season]."
The 21-year-old centre-back admitted that he had a “couple of options”, but he chose the Celts, as they have a great history and the fans are impressive.
“I had a couple of options but Celtic were the biggest one – they are big club, a big name and history, and the fans are amazing.
"Everything is new for me. I have lived all my life in Holland so this is a big step for me.
"I’m a tall, strong defender and good in the air. I like to play football but I mix it up. We will see what happens”, he added.
Van Dijk started his career with Williem II in 2009 before moving to play for the Groningen the following year.
He clocked up 32 appearances in the Dutch top flight last season.
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