Liverpool Ace Van Dijk Prepared for Hostile Reception Ahead of Southampton Return

Virgil van Dijk is fully prepared to face the daunting and hostile St Mary's atmosphere when Liverpool face his former club Southampton on Sunday.

The centre-back traded the south coast for Merseyside during the January transfer window after months of speculation surrounding his future with the Saints, and it is expected that he will be rounded on by the home faithful when the Reds head south this weekend.

In quotes published by Sky Sports, however, Van Dijk admitted that there was little he could do to prevent Southampton's fans from voicing their displeasure over his departure.

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Instead, the £75m arrival would be concentrating solely on making sure Jurgen Klopp's men chalk up a significant victory following the last gasp 2-2 draw with Tottenham last Sunday.

He said: "Maybe they can boo the whole game. You can't do anything about it. Obviously it'll be nice to see the players and the friends I have there but, for me, it is going to be about one thing only and that is to win the game."

Van Dijk had been the subject of interest from Liverpool last summer, but the Reds pulled out of a deal for him after Southampton threatened to report them over an illegal approach.

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They weren't to be denied last month, however, as Van Dijk became the most expensive defender in footballing history - and he explained why he it would take him a while to full adapt to Klopp's methods now he was at Anfield.

He added: "With the football we play, the pressing, the different options with players, it is totally different here. So you need time to get used to everything but I am working on it every day together with the team.

"The most important thing is what happens at Melwood and what happens here with the people who care about the team... other people around, fans of other clubs, pundits, they can have their opinions, but it doesn't really bother me.

"I am talking with the manager and everyone who can help me out. I want to improve and get the maximum out of myself and that is what I am going to do."