Virgil van Dijk is back in action in a Southampton shirt, and even found the back of the net with a header for the club’s Under-23 side against Stoke City.
The Netherlands international was the subject of much speculation linking him with a transfer to both Liverpool and Chelsea over the summer, though the Saints refused to sell.
Having established himself as one of the top defenders in the Premier League in recent seasons, Van Dijk was seen as too important for Southampton to let go, despite his apparent desire to get the move.
The 26-year-old doesn’t exactly look thrilled to still be stuck at St Mary’s, as his muted celebration of his goal above shows.
Liverpool are widely expected to revisit their pursuit of Van Dijk in January, though it remains to be seen if Southampton will budge on their asking price of between £60-70million.
Van Dijk himself held talks with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and was particularly keen on the move to Anfield, before that deal was put in doubt by Southampton’s threat of reporting the Merseyside club to the Premier League over the nature of their approach.
It remains to be seen if the clubs’ relationship can be mended sufficiently anytime soon, but it seems unlikely that Southampton can realistically hold on to an unhappy player for much longer.
Van Dijk’s well-taken header above shows his immense quality, but the club could have some cause for concern that his form in the first-team would take a noticeable dip due to clearly being disappointed at missing out on a summer departure.
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