Cameron Carter Vickers dubbed Celtic successor to Virgil van Dijk as problem position declared solved

Kelvin Wilson says Celtic have been craving a top-quality centre-back ever since Virgil van Dijk left the club.

And in new £6million man Cameron Carter-Vickers, he believes they’ve found their man.

The big American international signed on a permanent deal from Spurs on Friday and committed himself to four years at Parkhead.

Carter-Vickers was a revelation for Ange Postecoglou’s side on loan last season.

He was a key player in the Hoops’ charge towards a Premiership and League Cup double.

And by tying Carter-Vickers up for the long-term, Wilson feels he can be their best defender since Van Dijk.

The Dutchman left Celtic for Southampton in 2015 before moving on to Liverpool and becoming the best centre-half in the world. Wilson, who spent two years in Glasgow, was impressed by Carter-Vickers’ displays last term.

He said: “Cam was arguably Celtic’s best defender last season.

“He was never going to have a problem getting a move this summer, whether it was to Celtic or elsewhere.

“But if you leave Celtic, you have to make sure it’s to a club that’s just as big, if not bigger – and that’s hard.

“I watched some games he played in last season, like the ones against Rangers and the League Cup Final.

“He was unbelievably good. He has such a presence because of the physical side to his game – but he can play as well. He’d have been a massive miss for Celtic if he hadn’t signed and he’d have been hard to replace.

“Since Van Dijk left, they’ve struggled a bit to get in quality centre-backs. But they’ve found one in Carter-Vickers and it’s great that they’ve managed to keep him at the club.”

Carter-Vickers could probably have earned more money by staying in England and Spurs wouldn’t have struggled to find a buyer.

But Wilson