Virgil van Dijk's latest comments should remind Liverpool to look for alternatives

Van Dijk claims to be 'happy' at St Mary's, albeit while waiting to 'see what happens'

Virgil van Dijk saw a summer transfer request rejected by Southampton (Getty)

It may not be the news many Liverpool supporters want to hear from Virgil van Dijk, but the defender claims to be “happy” at Southampton again, three months on from attempting to force his way out of the club.

“I don’t think it's appropriate to comment on anything that happened before,” he told the Daily Echo on Monday, when asked about his summer flirtations with Liverpool and others. “I’m giving 100 per cent for the club, I work hard every day, I help my team-mates and I’m positive and I want to win every game. That’s the situation right now… I’m happy and that’s the most important thing. We’ll see what happens.”

The comments were a far cry from August’s transfer request and strongly-worded statement, when an “incredibly ambitious” player insisted that he had been left with “no alternative” but to leave the south coast. They are also notably different from what Van Dijk said in October, when he claimed he had “no regrets” over staying put and suggested: “Halfway through the season, maybe we can see what’s possible.”

All in all, these are positive remarks for Southampton fans who want to see him stay at St Mary’s, but many of those same fans will have noticed that Van Dijk’s words are not a clear, unequivocal affirmation of loyalty to the club. A lot of footballers are willing to ‘see what happens’ when asked about interest from elsewhere; some eventually move on, some do not, all have at least momentarily considered whether the grass might be greener.

It is also worth noting that by never shifting in their ‘not for sale’ stance, Southampton made it clear to Van Dijk that the club would have the final say on his future. The transfer request and statement were the strongest hand he could play in the summer’s most protracted transfer saga and still, they had no effect. If he still has thoughts of leaving, there would be little to gain from publicly saying so.

The real test of Van Dijk’s current mindset may come when the Premier League resumes and Southampton travel to Liverpool on 18 November. Anfield has already seen one opposition player put in an absent-minded performance shortly before a move to Merseyside. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed distracted on the day of Arsenal’s 4-0 defeat at Liverpool, much like Alexis Sanchez on Sunday against his own suitors, Manchester City.

If Van Dijk seems similarly preoccupied, the speculation will go into overdrive. If, though, there are more signs in the weeks and months to come that Van Dijk has moved on, that he is indeed “happy” at Southampton again, then Liverpool’s challenge will be to move on from him too.

Even though Van Dijk’s form since returning to Mauricio Pellegrino’s side has been indifferent at best, the 26-year-old is still seen as something of a magic bullet by Liverpool supporters, a panacea ready to rid them of their persistent defensive problems.

Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, admits he did not consider any other central defender during the summer and knocked down the players suggested by reporters back in September.

Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly? “No.” Davinson Sanchez, who has started well at Tottenham Hotspur? “No,” the Liverpool manager said. “We watched all of them 500 million times… [Defenders at other clubs] are all good out there but they are not that good that you say yes they help immediately. I had to make a decision and the decision was our boys are not worse than them.”

Van Dijk’s latest remarks mean it may be time for Klopp and his scouts to start re-watching those video tapes. Even if the Southampton defender remains Plan A, it would be wise to find an alternative.