Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has revealed that the club is being patient over Virgil van Dijk's return to the starting lineup.

The Saints boss recently utilised the Dutch defender for the first time since January, bringing him on as a substitute in the final 10 minutes of Southampton's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier this month.

Van Dijk has not started a Southampton game for eight months following a long-term ankle injury and submitting a transfer request this summer, but Pellegrino insists that the 26-year-old's time will come to become a fully-fledged first-team member again.

"Little by little he's getting better," said Pellegrino, whose side play at Stoke City on Saturday. "It will be difficult to see the best Virgil in the first game or even the second. We need to be patient.

"After this game we've got two weeks and we'll play a friendly in the middle. I'm happy with his attitude and I'm sure he'll be ready when he does come back.

"When I put a player on the bench it's because I think he's ready to play. The most important thing for Virgil is to play; every single week his timing and mobility is getting better."

Van Dijk has made 69 appearances for the south coast club since his 2015 move from Celtic.