Southampton have reportedly given Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk time off to gather his thoughts after his summer move to Liverpool failed to materialise. The 26-year-old handed in a transfer request at St Mary’s in the hope it would help him make the switch to Anfield but after The Saints dug their heels in, his immediate future will be on the south-coast.
 

Having been dropped from his international side due to lack of playing time this season, Southampton website The Ugly Inside states that van Dijk has been given until Monday to clear his head and prepare to concentrate on helping Southampton to continue their solid start to the new campaign.
 

This may not be the end of the transfer saga however with The Sun also reporting that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will return with another assault in the new year when the window re-opens.

Van Dijk will hope that by then that the two clubs have managed to patch up their differences so he has the possibility of arriving on Merseyside for the second half of the campaign.