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For Tony Cascarino, Joey Barton et al, the towering figure of Virgil van Dijk represents something of an inconvenient truth.
Throughout his two years with Celtic, the Dutchman’s grace, poise and seemingly limitless time on the ball lent the impression of a man playing at a level he was simply too good for.
Only by moving to a serious league, preferably one south of the border, would he be properly tested. So went the theory of the commercial radio mouthpieces, at least.
Taking to life at Southampton like a duck does to water when he moved there in 2015, Van Dijk would have looked no more relaxed had he rolled into a hammock and sparked up a cigar.
In doing so, he rather blew a hole in the arguments of those who hold that his time in Glasgow was akin to a seasoned pro turning out in Sunday League.
Back on Scottish soil for Thursday’s game with Malky Mackay’s team, Van Dijk effectively batted the comments of Barton, Cascarino and the like back over Hadrian’s Wall with considerable interest.
Paying tribute to the record 63-game mark his former club reached by beating St Johnstone last Saturday, the 26-year-old centre-half simply could not have been more fulsome in his praise.
‘They have been unbelievable,’ Van Dijk said of Brendan Rodgers’ side. ‘They have done brilliantly and I always look out for Celtic’s results.
‘When you play for Celtic, your love for the club never goes away. They have made great strides under Brendan Rodgers.
‘They made history last week and that was great to see. It shows how strong they are and, hopefully, they can keep going.’
In domestic terms, it would take a brave man to wager much on the specific date of when the wheels will come off the wagon.
On the European stage, the best that can now be hoped for is a run in the Europa League. Pitched into a group with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, it was always the most likely scenario.
‘They have had some good games against some top teams,’ added Van Dijk. ‘It is hard for them, but it is great to see them back in the Champions League. The club and the fans deserve to be at that stage.’
A hissy-fit at St Mary’s on account of the club’s reluctance to entertain overtures from Liverpool and Chelsea now behind him, Van Dijk cut a content figure as he landed at Dyce Airport.
Nearby Pittodrie is a place that holds dear memories for him. A last-minute winner there in season 2014-15 proved to be the birth of the Ronny Roar.
‘It is nice to be back in Scotland again,’ he continued.
‘I had some great times here with Celtic. I have also scored some big goals for Celtic at Pittodrie, so it is also good to come back to Aberdeen, especially with the Dutch national team.’
For Holland, it is an opportunity to shake off the lingering hangover of a failure to qualify for the World Cup that came on the back of an absence from the Euros.
Van Dijk will also be able to reacquaint himself with some old faces.
‘It will be good to play against Scotland and some of my old Celtic team-mates,’ he smiled.
The inside line on all matters Celtic is provided by a non-Scot, though, in the shape of Nir Bitton. The Israeli’s recent outings at centre-half have necessitated more frequent phone calls.
‘I told him it is not that easy, but he is a good player,’ Van Dijk said.
‘I speak to him a lot and we are probably going on holiday together, as well. He is a good friend and it is good to see him playing so well.
‘Hopefully, he can keep doing what he is doing because he is a top player.’
Holland’s attitude this evening will be a source of fascination.
With Dick Advocaat standing down at the end of this year, there is a sense that this game is an exercise in box-ticking for them.
‘We have a good strong squad here,’ insisted Van Dijk. ‘We know we face a good Scotland team, but we are here to win.’
A failure to overcome France and Sweden on the road to Russia came as a hammer blow to his nation.
For a country that believed the barren days of the early 1980s would never return, another inactive summer has been the source of great introspection.
For Ruud Gullit, though, the memory of the Euro ’88 triumph that so spectacularly ended the drought is a source of inspiration as the rebuilding process begins.
‘I had that period with the national team as well before we won the Euros in 1988,’ said the Dutch assistant.
‘We didn’t qualify for a tournament before then, so it can happen.
‘Everyone is looking forward to the game. It is fantastic to have and, although it is said to be a friendly, it means things.
‘The game means a lot because the Scottish are also trying to change things.
‘They have a different coach for this game and they are also going to have some new and young players.
‘Like ourselves, they didn’t qualify for the World Cup, so there is a period available to work on new things with a new team.
‘There is going to be a lot of new players in the Scotland team.
‘They have lots of good, young players and I saw them play their match against England earlier in the year.
‘They made a good impression on me there and I expect the same again.’
The lingering regret of many within the Dutch FA is that Advocaat wasn’t invited back to the helm before he was. By the time Danny Blind was shown the door in March, their chances of making the World Cup were fast diminishing.
Matters improved when the former Rangers boss returned for a third spell, but the damage was already done.
‘We started changing already when Dick took over the job,’ explained Gullit.
‘From when he started, there have been some pretty good results, even though people felt it was almost impossible when we started.
‘A loss against France can happen in any match, but we won the rest of the matches.
‘He has done very well and he should keep going.’
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