Van Dijk could make first start in eight months
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has said he is considering thrusting defender Virgil Van Dijk into the starting XI for their game against Manchester United on Saturday.
The Holland defender has not started a game for eight months after suffering a serious foot injury in January before handing in a transfer request during the summer transfer window amidst heavy interest from Liverpool.
Van Dijk made his return to first-team football when he came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace last weekend, and he could be called upon on Saturday to help keep out a United side which has scored 16 goals in their opening five Premier League games.
Saints boss Pellegrino said: "We will decide on Friday, but every week for Virgil is important because he is getting better.
"After a long period of time without playing a game now he is training well, and it's good news for us because we need Virgil like every single player in our squad.
"Virgil is an important player for us. I think every single week he will improve, but at the same time he needs to play, he needs to train.
"The best training session for me is to play games. Now he is playing in the reserves and he is training well."
Pellegrino, who played for Liverpool towards the end of his career, called United "the biggest team in the world" and thinks they will provide the sternest test for him since he took over at St Mary's at the start of the season.
"For me it's a nice opportunity, I see this game as a huge opportunity for us because we realise how we are against a top team," the 45-year-old Argentinian said.
"When we play against the biggest team in the world, it allows us to draw some conclusions about how we are. This is for me the nice challenge and we have to strive for this.
"Playing against Manchester United is one of the most beautiful things. I will live this opportunity, I will live this game, and now we have to try to enjoy this game."