What Virgil van Dijk did at Celtic to spark Liverpool rise as Ronny Deila stakes kudos claim over 'unfit' star shake up
Bullish Ronny Deila reckons a major career change he implemented with Virgil van Dijk during his time at Celtic turned him into a Liverpool superstar.
The Netherlands captain spent two years at Celtic Park on his journey to the top - claiming two Premiership crowns as well as a Scottish Cup before making the move to Southampton. His form at St Mary's would lead to a mega-money move to Anfield where he has established himself as one of the best defenders in the world while also lifting the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his Liverpool tenure - where he was appointed captain in the summer.
But Norwegian boss Deila reckons he played his part the career trajectory of the Dutchman during his one season working with the player - because he ramped up the intensity of training for Van Dijk. He reckons that the centre-back was strolling life in Scotland and it had a major impact on his fitness before he made his move south.
Asked about working with the centre-back during his time at Celtic, the Club Brugge boss told Nieuwsblad: I started working with him intensively.
"He trained poorly because it was too easy for him in Scotland. And as a result he was not fit. Under me, Virgil lost eight kilos of fat.
"From then on he was a machine. If you don't want to get better, you can't play football under me.”
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