FILIP Benkovic watched from afar as Celtic helped make Virgil van Dijk the best defender in the world, writes Stewart Fisher. Now the Croatian central defender is bidding to follow in those footsteps. A supreme athlete who exhibits calm on the ball, comparisons have already been made between Liverpool’s £75m superstar and the on-loan Leicester City player, plucked for around £12m from Dinamo Zagreb shortly before the July window closed. While the 21-year-old insists he has a fair distance to go to reach those heights, he isn’t short on ambition.

“When people compare me to Van Dijk it makes me proud,” said Benkovic. “It gives me confirmation that I’m doing a good job here.

“But I know I’m still far away from Van Dijk as a player,” he added. “I want to work hard and learn from players like him. I watch a lot of his games and one day I want to be at his level.

“His route - and the one I’m taking now - is the best way for your career. It’s not normal to skip steps if you want to make a good career. If you want to be a big player - you can’t think you’re the best right away. You have to realise your own situation. You have to be patient, humble and work hard to take each step to the top.

“I remember Van Dijk playing for Celtic. In Croatia they show a lot of Celtic games and I watched him on there and on Youtube. In two years here, he progressed a lot. For me, he’s now the best defender in the world.”

Benkovic is a veteran of two cup final victories for an all-conquering Zagreb side, although today’s Betfred Cup showpiece against Aberdeen at Hampden Park may be the most he has ever contributed to one of these gala days. An unused sub in 2016 against Slaven Belupo, having already indicated his desire to leave the club, he only came on to the field in the 1-0 2018 win against rivals Hajduk in the 90th minute. With those matches played out in front of crowds of just 8,000, today promises to be a spectacle of a different order.

“In my three years at Dynamo, we won the league twice and the cup twice,” he added. “The cup finals are big in Croatia. For the cities, it’s really important to win those trophies. There’s big pressure but eventually you get used to it and it becomes normal. The final against Hadjuk Split was played at a neutral stadium in Vinkovci but I didn’t start the cup final, because my move Leicester was already arranged It was the last game of the season and I also had a little injury.”

Today’s final offers a chance to get the first trophy on the board before January ticks around in any case, although a slim chance remains that Leicester could recall the player in the event of outgoing transfers and injuries next month. Benkovic insists that his preference is to stay in Scotland and complete the set before returning down south.

“I heard, [Claude Puel, the Leicester manager] told me that if someone is injured then maybe then I will come back but winter will come now. But he also said that he wanted that I stay here. Like any footballer, you want to win anything you can. I really hope to stay here until the end of the season and win all trophies. But every day you must fight for this.”

Benkovic has been a big hit with the Celtic fans, dancing in front of them in Trondheim on Thursday night as they secured a rare Europa League away win. He might just have some more planned in the event of victory today. “Maybe I will keep dancing... and do some new moves,” he said. “You never know.”