Virgil van Dijk Forced to Train Alone After Making Himself 'Not Available' for Southampton
Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk has been forced to train alone by manager Mauricio Pellegrino after some unsavoury actions.
The Dutchman - who was desperate to move to Liverpool earlier in the transfer window - declared himself unavailable for selection in their pre-season campaign.
The Saints squad will travel to France to continue their preparations, but the wantaway defender will remain on the south coast and will train alone.
ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages
Pellegrino has said he will remain excluded until he proves to the new boss that he is committed to the club and is in the right frame of mind to feature.
He said, per Daily Mail: "The boy said that he is not available to play because he wants to leave. This is the decision. I had to say "if you don't want to be involved because you don't feel OK, then you have to train alone until this period of time happens.
"My relationship with Virgil is excellent. I was clear with the boy, and I was talking from the first day with him. I translated the idea of the club to the player and for me it was easy because I had to manage the dynamic of the team."
Stephen Pond/GettyImages
Despite interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, the Saints remain adamant that Van Dijk will not be sold - his current contract runs until 2022.
The club are not deterred by his current attitude and expect him to play a prominent role in their 2017/18 campaign.
But, in this crazy transfer window, it would be foolish to rule out a club swooping in with a bid in excess of £70m.
