Pellegrino refuses to be drawn on Van Dijk future as Barca circle
Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk was the centre of attention once again on Saturday, despite Mauricio Pellegrino's attempts to divert the conversation in another direction.
The centre-back was left out of Suthampton's squad for the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town at St Mary's on Saturday, intensifying speculation over his future at the club.
Manchester City have heavily been linked with a move for the player, though it is thought that Spanish giants Barcelona are also seriously connsidering a move.
When quizzed on the former Celtic man's absence following Saturday's game, Pellegrino insisted that there was nothing untoward in his decision, saying: "I decided that was best for this moment. This is the reason. I am responsible for picking 11 players, and I intend to pick the best for the team.
Though the Argentine didn't completely rule out a January departure for his star man.
"Around him will be a lot of speculation and we have to wait to see what happens," Pellegrino explained.
"Van Dijk's future? I don’t know, we’ll have to wait, but I will repeat, there will be a lot of speculation around him. We have to wait."
Could the Premier League and La Liga pacesetters be set to go head-to-head over a transfer?