VIRGIL VAN DIJK has just been handed an extra incentive to prolong his stay at Celtic beyond January's transfer window.

The prospect of experiencing his first Old Firm game when Celtic meet Rangers in the League Cup semi-final is already whetting the appetite of the sought-after Dutch defender.

And, if the Hoops can book their place in February's knockout stages of the Europa League - something they can achieve on Thursday if they win against Astra Giurgiu and Salzburg defeat Partizan in Belgrade - there will be even more to satisfy the 23-year-old's hunger to improve without having to move elsewhere.

Van Dijk looked like the cat that got the cream when the League Cup draw was made shortly after he had helped Celtic move up to third in the SPFL Premiership with a 1-0 win over Inverness, and he said: "Everyone wants to experience this game - and win it, which is the most important thing. I watched a couple of Old Firm games on television when I was growing up. And I've heard a lot of stories about the game.

"It is something very special - even more special than the Champions League nights. So it is going to be amazing. I wasn't really expecting to play games against Rangers when I signed for Celtic.

"I knew we could always meet them in a cup, and, of course, you want to play in that fixture because it is unbelievable, with everything around it. Everyone has already told me I'll never have experienced anything like it before."

Van Dijk acknowledges that it is not just people in this country who will be tuning in to see Celtic face a Rangers team for the first time since April, 2012.

It will put everyone involved in the spotlight, and he said: "Playing in big games always helps your international prospects.

"It helps you to grow as a player. It gives you a lot of experience of dealing with pressure."

Which is what Van Dijk expects to feel on Thursday when Celtic face Astra, and he said: "We have an important game in Romania.

"We've now won five games in a row. We are in the flow right now and need to keep on going."