Virgil van Dijk was in the Celtic team when Kieran Tierney debuted in senior football who was a teenager back then. Now with Liverpool, Van Dijk says he always knew Tierney was destined to cope with the standards set by the Premier League.
The promising young left-back came on as a late substitute for Emilio Izaguirre in a Ladbrokes Premiership game against Dundee at Dens Park towards the end of the 2014/15 season. He managed to impressed onlookers, including Van Dijk, as he helped lead the visitors to record a 2-1 victory.
Since then, he has been consistent when it comes to impressing fans and professionals alike. He has established himself as a first-team regular at the Parkhead club, won numerous trophies and individual awards and established himself in the Scotland national team as well.
Van Dijk believes that Tierney will succeed in the Premier League in England if Arsenal agrees to a £25 million asking price in the coming days.
Most players who move to England from Celtic or Rangers go to mid-table top flight clubs or even those at the bottom end of the division due to the low regard that the Premiership is held in down south.
Like Victor Wanyama before him and Stuart Armstrong after him, Van Dijk joined Southampton for a transfer fee of £13 million in 2015. In 2017, he joined Liverpool for £75 million, which was a world record for a defender.
Should Tierney make it to the Emirates Stadium club, who reached the Europa League final last season and just missed out on a top four place in the Premier League table and a Champions League spot, it simply means that trend has continued on. The Liverpool star believes, however, that Tierney can handle it.
"It is not an easy step to make, and you have to play well to do it," the Dutch defender, who returned to this country briefly for a pre-season friendly against Napoli at Murrayfield on Sunday, said. "But he has the qualities."
Van Dijk faced his former teammate Tierney back in 2017 in Scotland in a friendly match with the Netherlands at Pittodrie. Tierney captained his country, and Van Dijk claims he was well aware of his opponent's strength at that time.
"Kieran made his debut against Dundee when I was at Celtic," Van Dijk said. "I scored a free-kick up there, and then he came on and helped us get the win. You could tell he was a good player who would do well."
