Virgil van Dijk is welcomed back into the Southampton dressing room as Maya Yoshida says: ‘We know he is one of the best players in the Premier League’
Unsettled defender who wanted to join Liverpool is told to just focusing on playing after returning from eight months out
VIRGIL VAN DIJK has been welcomed back with open arms into the Southampton dressing room.
Van Dijk, 26, made his first appearance for Saints since January when he came on as an 87th-minute substitute in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
The £70million-rated defender, who wanted to quit Saints for Liverpool in the summer, is being slowly reintegrated into the first-team squad.
Southampton defender Maya Yoshida said: “We all know he is one of the best players in the Premier League.
"But, realistically, he has not played for eight months so it is not easy to come back and just play.
“He will need a little bit of time. We now have Wesley Hoedt and Jack Stephens, so we have a lot of competition between players.
“There is no guarantee of anyone being in the team, including myself.
“We all have to ensure every game that we focus for the whole 90 minutes and keep fit — then it will benefit the team as well.”
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Yet Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrini has admitted he is unsure if Holland star Van Dijk will still be at the other club after the January transfer window.
He said: “It’s normal that the biggest teams in the Premier League want to buy him. He’s one of the best players in the Premier League.
“We never know how the market will be in January."
Van Dijk returned to the Southampton squad for the first time this season as a late substitute in Saturday's 1-0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace.
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