Van Dijk Returns To First Team Squad Wednesday, 6th Sep 2017 08:57 The first big question of the post summer transfer window was answered on Monday when Virgil Van Dijk returned to first team training, but there are still several others that are set to be posed in the coming days, weeks and months. Virgil Van Dijk took the first steps towards playing for Saints again when he returned to first team training yesterday, albeit to a reduced squad with many members of it still away on International duty as Van Dijk himself would have been had he not taken the action he has done over the past six weeks or so. Over the weekend the thought was that the player had three options, rejoin the first team squad and put in his best and play for the team again, rejoin the squad but go through the motions meaning that he would not be picked or the final rastic action of refusing to do anything other than train alone or with the youth team an action that would have big repercussions. Thankfully he has selected rejoining the squad, although we are yet to find out whether it will be option 1 or 2 that he pursues. But for now the first hurdle has been overcome and he is back with his team mates, who by all accounts as footballers do, welcomed him back with little fanfare and a bit of banter. Van Dijk himself has kept himself fit, he took part in the initial fitness work with the first team squad so has a good base fitness level it is now a question of how quickly he could be got up to match sharpness. From a Saints point of view they would aim to get him back in the swing of things and then give him a run out with the Academy side, that could come as early as next Monday when Saints U23's travel to the Bescott Stadium home of Walsall to take on Aston Villa. Ideally Saints would like Van Dijk to get in the bulk of that match and then be in contention for the trip to Crystal Palace, they would like him to play some part in that match to get the comeback game out of the way away from St Mary's and 30,000 Saints fans giving him a frosty welcome. This would be the ideal situation and he could make his home comeback against Manchester United were to be blunt Saints could really do with him taking on a resurgent United, this would perhaps be a bit of an ordeal to ask him to play his first Premier League game in 9 months without a bit of match practice, a good result at Palace with Van Dijk involved would take away a lot of the pressure of that day. But the big question still remains whether Van Dijk has the appetite to knuckle down and realise that his best option is to get back to his best, he will get his big move, it is only a question of when, Saints will be in more of a mood to discuss that if the player himself is doing his job. So the first step has been taken, it now needs everyone to come to the same conclusion, that it is in their best interests to have Virgil Van Dijk in the team and playing well, for the player it will earn him the big move he craves, for the club it will mean we can plan his exit and his replacement and finally for the fans, they have tp think what is best, the natural tendency would be to boo him onto the pitch, but that serves no one's interests especially the club. The relationship between Van Dijk and the Saints fans will never be the same, no one expects them to sing his name or buy a shirt with it on the back, but we need him to win us points and keep us moving forward, as much as he has used us, we need to use him, when he returns there should be no reaction, in fact it should be used to galvanise the team around him. As A Saints supporter I want to leave the ground after his return with thre points in the bag, I want to feel the satisfaction of that more than I want to feel that I have vented my anger at him, that will not help Saints and Virgil Van Dijk won't care one iota, it is beyond that, we know that. The old saying is that the club is bigger than one man, Saints have showed that in the recent weeks, now the supporters have to as well, no one says that we have to like it, just that we have to see what the club is trying to achieve, Van Dijk's actions have harmed that enough already we do not want it compounded. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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