Van Dijk 'embarrassed himself and club'
Former Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew claims that Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk 'embarrassed himself, Southampton fans and the club' during his summer-long transfer saga.
The Dutch defender was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool during the summer, only for the 'Reds' to end up being reported for making an 'illegal approach' for the player.
That led to Liverpool publicly ending their interest in the former Celtic man, who was also linked with moves to Chelsea and Manchester City.
Southampton's owners denounced the defender's actions during the debacle as 'unprofessional' and pledged not to sell the player. They were true to their words, with van Dijk remaining a 'saint' after the transfer window closed.
Saturday's game against Crystal Palace saw van Dijk involved in Southampton's first team squad for the first time since the end of the transfer window, with the Dutchman being introduced in the 88th minute of the game as his side claimed a 1-0 win courtesy of Steve Davies' early goal.
Speaking on 'Sky Sports', Pardew had his say on van Dijk, saying that he would be worried about the player were he Southampton's manager.
'Is it going to affect his performance today? I expect in three or four games time he will be fine. But this first game, I expect him to be nervous.
'The player, he has embarrassed his fans and he has embarrassed himself a little bit and the club. I'll be looking at him today and worrying. He is someone I'd be concerned about.'