Van Dijk v Lukaku - one man completed the jigsaw, the other didn't

Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge is an anniversary game for Liverpool and Van Dijk. It is almost exactly four years since he made his debut against Everton at Anfield.

Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk (L) vies with Chelsea's Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku (R) during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on August 28, 2021. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

How have we managed to sign this guy?” There is something a little vague and apocryphal about the oft-quoted reaction of one unnamed Celtic player to seeing Virgil van Dijk in training on his first day at the club.

Van Dijk was 22 at the time and a late bloomer, rejected as a teenager by Willem II (“too many limitations”), and more recently by Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, with two decent seasons at Groningen to recommend him.