Virgil van Dijk has opened up on the disappointment in his early career which fuelled his desire to reach the top with Liverpool.
The Dutch defender has navigated an unorthodox route to stardom, having been dropped by Willem II as a youngster before spells at Groningen, Celtic and Southampton, prior to his arrival at Anfield.
Now considered among the best defenders in world football, van Dijk has taken time to reflect on the lessons learned during his youth career that have stood him in good stead. "I think there was a period when I was at Willem II when I was about 16, when I just wasn’t ready to go through to the next year of the academy," he admitted to Sky Sports. "I wasn’t good enough at all.
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