Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino has confirmed that Virgil Van Dijk might be included in the squad to visit Crystal Palace, but he hasn't made his mind up yet !
Speaking in the pre match press conference Mauricio Pellegrino has confired that he will make a late decision on whether to bring the Dutch defender back into the squad for the trip to Selhurst Park.
"Virgil was training well. He played 90 minutes the other day in the reserve game, but tomorrow we will decide [if he'll be involved against Palace].”
On the players fitness, Pellegrino added:
"Hopefully he will be getting better every single week but I am happy with that because it’s not just about Virgil, it’s everybody right now ready to be part of the team.”
However Pellegrino was more evasive on whether Van Dijk would still be team Captain after the issues of the summer.
"For me the captain is someone who the team may decide and something that you have to deserve — not something the manager can give the player to be a captain,”
"This is my point of view.”
When asked if Van Dijk deserved the captaincy, he said:
"Now, when he’s not playing? You cannot be captain if you’re not playing. Obviously Virgil was one of the leaders of the squad.”
In my opinion I think that the first step in re integrating Van Dijk back into the squad will be to name him in it for the trip to Palace, although I feel that he will not even be named amongst the substitutes.
It will be an exercise in showing the supporters that the player himself is ready and willing to play, so that means taking him to Palace even though his match fitness is probably not good enough yet after only one U23 game to his name in the last 9 months.
Then there is the question of keeping morale in the squad, although I have not been the greatest fan of either Yoshida and Stephens as to their ability to pay consistently well at this level, the fact remains that so far this season they have been better in than Van Dijk in that they have been available and able to play.
From this point of view they do not deserve to be discarded the moment Van Dijk is back in the squad, he should be fully fit and games under his belt and shown that he is a better bet than either, although of course he is a better player than either of them, he did not show that on Monday against Aston Villa at Walsall, he hs to prove to not only the fans, but his team mates too hat he is raring to go and ready to give his all to the club whilst still here.