Neil Warnock reveals bizarre reason Crystal Palace missed out on signing Virgil Van Dijk

Former Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has revealed the Eagles missed out on a glorious chance to sign the now world class Virgil Van Dijk for just £5million in 2014.

At that time, Van Dijk was flying in Scotland with Celtic but was desperate to play in the Premier League.

The race was between Palace and Southampton with the South London side huge favourites to land his signature before suddenly pulling out at the last minute.

The reason for turning down the opportunity was based on a scouting report that described the Dutch defender as too slow and not fit for the swift pace of the Premier League.

Southampton took their chances the moment Palace pulled out and Van Dijk has never looked back since moving to the St Mary’s.

The veteran English manager told the Mirror: “The one that got away was Van Dijk.

“I got offered him when I was at Crystal Palace for just £5million back in 2014.

“But my chief scout said he was too slow and he ended up at Southampton instead! It’s a shame because anything he may lack in pace, he makes up for 10-fold in his ability to read the game.”

Crystal Palace have had a slow start to the transfer window, but there is hope and optimism that they will bring the right players in.

Last season, the Eagles finished 12th and made it to the semi-final of the FA Cup before falling to Chelsea at Wembley.

Fans of the club have seen how good Van Dijk has been, but can now only imagine what the strength of their defensive unit would be with Dutch defender marshalling it.