Ex-St Johnstone striker Graham Cummins says he knew Virgil van Dijk was destined for the top after the former Celtic star told him about his own talents.
Cummins, back in Ireland with Waterford, was on the end of a hilarious put-down from the Liverpool star shortly before his move from Parkhead to Southampton in 2015.
It’s thought to have happened during Celtic’s 3-1 win over Saints in Glasgow in August that year, with the future Ballon d’Or runner-up coming out on top against the former McDiarmid Park man.
Cummins, speaking on an Irish Examiner podcast, said: “He left the day after we played against them.
“That’s my claim to fame, that’s what pushed the Southampton deal over the line, that he marked me!
“We were told in the dressing room, stop him, rather than him stopping you. Get behind the ball when he gets it, because he’ll run the pitch no bother.
“The first ball, I tried to sprint with him and he just boshed me out of it.
“I was out of breath and blowing out of my backside and he just turned to me and said, ‘I wouldn’t even bother, I’m just too good’.”
