Arsenal are out of Virgil van Dijk's reach, he'll probably end up at a mid-table Premier League team like West Ham, claims former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie

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When Virgil van Dijk was omitted from the Celtic squad that drew at Dundee at the end of August, the official explanation was that he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play in the game.

A more accurate account is probably that having seemingly been denied his wish of a lucrative move to the Premiership the previous day, the Dutchman’s deep displeasure was best kept in isolation for a few days.

In fairness to the former Groningen man, his frustration at seeing the road to the south blocked on that occasion hasn’t festered. Even in a Celtic defence that’s been alarmingly porous at times this season, he’s invariably been the stand-out performer.

Celtic's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk was close to a move away from the club in the summer

The turn of the year will bring with it another raft of rumours and doubtless one or two concrete bids for his services. Arsenal are said to be monitoring the player’s situation at close quarters but Sunderland or Southampton look to be more realistic destinations. It’s now a question of where and when rather than if.

As in the cases of Fraser Forster and Victor Wanyama, both now domiciled on the south coast, money won’t so much as talk as eventually deafen all parties into submission.

There is potentially a strange quirk in all this, however. Unless a prospective suitor comes calling in the early weeks of January – and that rarely happens these days – Celtic might well find themselves fending off bids in the last hours of that month.

Even those living in darkened caves are surely by now aware of the fact there’s the small matter of an Old Firm League Cup semi-final clash at Hampden the following lunchtime.

So, irrespective of their overwhelming favourites tag for that game, would Celtic dare sell their prized asset the night before such a hotly-anticipated fixture – no matter what kind of money is tabled?

Premier League sides Arsenal, West Ham and Southampton are all reportedly interested in the defender

Alternatively, were they to stand firm again, what frame of mind might Van Dijk be in when the team bus pulls up at Hampden?

Given the unpalatable possibilities, it seems likely the powers-that-be at Parkhead will move to head this one off at the pass.

‘I’m sure the manager will already have told him he’s going nowhere in January,’ former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie told Sportsmail.

‘I didn’t take to the manager in the beginning but I now think he’s someone who’s got his head screwed on and will see this coming.

‘He’ll be looking at this situation coming up and talking to Virgil about it. Peter Lawwell will be all too aware of it, too. I’m pretty sure they’ll both be saying: “You can go – but now until the end of the season.”

But Celtic boss Ronny Deila may be unwilling to sell Van Dijk considering the clash with Rangers

‘You can’t contemplate having someone with their head scrambled the night before such a big game. He might not be happy to be told he’s definitely going nowhere but at least he’ll have accepted it by the time the game comes around.’

McAvennie firmly believes that, regardless of the prospect of the first game with Rangers in almost three years, there is sound reason for Van Dijk seeing out the season in Glasgow.

Hard on the heels of the Hampden clash, Inter Milan come to town. Progression to the last 16 of the Europa League may be the only thing on anyone’s mind, but for the Dutchman the tie also represents a casting couch for the English Premier League.

‘I know there’s been talk of Arsenal but at this stage I think that’s ambitious,’ McAvennie added.

‘But, he can still get a really big club - and if he does well against Inter Milan then who knows.

‘I can tell you for a fact, the English clubs don’t care how well players do against other Scottish teams.

 Frank McAvennie has said Van Dijk will have to prove himself in Europe if he wants a move to a big club

‘No disrespect to boys at Ross County and elsewhere but they just aren’t rated in the wider scheme of things.

‘That’s why the European games are massive for him. Unfortunately, although they qualified from their group, Celtic have not done too well as a team in a lot of the European games this season.

‘To get a move like that, you’ve got to do well in Europe. That’s where you are judged. It’s one thing doing well in Scotland but it’s Europe where the English clubs will judge you.’

For a man who made an art form out of dashing for Saturday night shuttles to London, it might seem somewhat rich to talk about others needing a degree of patience to do likewise.

Nonetheless, McAvennie believes Van Dijk remaining in Glasgow until at least the summer will be as beneficial for the individual as it will be lucrative for the club.

‘I think it’s in the boy’s interests to stay until the end of the season or possibly even for another year. He’d learn so much not just from the Inter games but from the Rangers match as well. He’ll do well to sample matches like those at any English club.

McAvennie believes Van Dijk will be allowed to leave the club but not until the summer transfer window

‘Everyone is talking up the prospect of him maybe going to one of the big four in England – I don’t think he’s going to get to that level at this stage.

Maybe a West Ham or a mid-table team is more realistic.

‘My advice would be to stay because he’s learning all the time. He’s so good he sometimes switches off in the Scottish games so, in a strange way, he doesn’t always look as good a player as he is.

‘He’ll learn not to do that as he’s only young. He’s certainly a very good player but if he’s got ambitions of going straight to a top four or six team in England then another season would do him no harm at all.

‘I think he will go but I don’t think he will go in January. The summer will suit all parties much better.’