Sunday, 31st August, 2014
Celtic boss Ronny Deila is confident that defender Virgil van Dijk will not be leaving the club before the transfer window slams shut.
Van Dijk has been linked with a transfer away from Celtic, talk which only increased following the club's elimination from the Champions League.
But Deila is desperate to keep hold of the 23-year-old and feels he is set to succeed at that task.
"He is going to stay here and that's the most important thing", the Norwegian tactician told the BBC.
Van Dijk missed today's 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Dundee, but Deila insists that transfer reasons were not behind the defender's omission.
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"He is not here today because there has been a lot of speculation and his head has been thinking a lot.
"His girlfriend is also pregnant and due soon. So he hasn't had the right focus, he wouldn't have been 100% today – that is why he didn't play.
"He is a very important player for us and we have told him that there is no chance he is going to leave.
"There is no chance we will let him go during this window. We couldn't replace him."
Van Dijk joined Celtic just last summer, moving from Dutch side FC Groningen.
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