Southampton Still ‘Hopeful’ That Virgil Van Dijk Will Stay

Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino says Virgil van Dijk’s transfer request has not changed anything and the club do not intend to sell.

“My reaction is the same that I said three weeks ago: we are expecting him [Virgil van Dijk] to come back, to train with us because we need the players, we need all of them,” Mauricio Pellegrino said.

“Hopefully he can change his point of view. Virgil is an important player and we need him focused on our club.”

Asked if Southampton can genuinely retain an unhappy player, Pellegrino said: “But the club was clear from the beginning with the player. We can’t control every single situation. We can decide our dynamic in this group and Virgil is part of our group; he has a contract.

“He has spoken with [executive director] Les Reed. We’ve spoken with the player but not too much, a couple of meetings.

“I was clear, the club was clear, he was clear on his position. But we have to keep going because I can’t control the thinking or the feeling of the player.”

When asked whether Virgil van Dijk  would be available for selection this weekend, Pellegrino added: “No, no. Because this week he was with some trouble with a virus and he couldn’t train the last two days.”

Pellegrino confirmed Southampton will continue to chase more new recruits during the transfer window.

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