Van Dijk plied his trade at Celtic Park from 2013 to 2015 before he moved south of the border to Southampton and ultimately joined Liverpool in January 2018.
Under Reds boss Jurgen Klopp’s tutelage, the Dutchman took his game up several notches and now is widely regarded as one of the finest centre-backs in the game.
Ajatic, Van Dijk’s former Bhoys team-mate, has revealed that the Liverpool man was a ferocious defender to deal with even during his spell in Scotland, although he was relatively less known back then.
The Bosnian added that he rated the 30-year-old as one of the best centre-backs in Europe while they were playing together at Celtic, something which the Liverpool stalwart has since gone on to show further down the line.
“Since I was little, I always had this will be dream of making a living from football and playing in big stadiums, so when that chance came from Celtic, it is not something you say no to”, Ajatic told Swedish daily Expressen.
“First, I signed a three-year contract and then I got a two-year extension.
“During the three years I was part of the first team, so I got to train and play with pretty good players.
“Someone like Van Dijk was not so well known, but even then, I thought he was ferocious.
“I remember talking to my friends and saying he was one of Europe’s best defenders, and he showed that later.”
Ajatic signed for Swedish side BK Olympic in January and is gearing up for a new season, while Van Dijk is chasing a quadruple with the Reds this term.
