MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 13:50:14| >> :120:4045:4045:

Mauricio Pellegrino resigned to losing defender Virgil van Dijk

Mauricio Pellegrino says that his side "tried to do the best for the team" by keeping Van Dijk at St Mary's, but hints the defender may be on his way out of Southampton.

Mauricio Pellegrino has hinted that Virgil van Dijk is close to leaving Southampton after leaving the defender out of his matchday squad.

The Netherlands international was not involved on Tuesday afternoon as the Saints went down 5-2 to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.

Van Dijk, who has now been unused in his side's last three outings, is reportedly on the radar of both Manchester City and Liverpool ahead of next week's transfer window.

Asked why the centre-back was omitted once again, Pellegrino told reporters: "I have to decide what's best for the team and around Virgil there has been a lot of speculation. The manager decides what is the best.

"We win, draw and lose, with and without Virgil. We have to wait until January. I can't control the market so we'll see what happens. We tried to do the best for the team.

"The board decided to try to keep our best player at the club. This situation is a big learning curve for everybody and now we decide what is the best for the club."

Liverpool failed with their attempt to sign Van Dijk in the summer due to an alleged illegal approach, while Man City have since emerged as the frontrunners to sign him.

ID:314906: cacheID:314906:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2475:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Virgil van Dijk is loving life after the Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Southampton on September 16, 2017
Read Next:
Pellegrino quiet on Van Dijk future
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!