VIRGIL VAN DIJK has been left out of Southampton’s squad for a pre-season training camp in France after manager Mauricio Pellegrino revealed the unsettled centre-back is training alone.
The Saints are heading to Evian-les-Bains to continue their preparations for the 2017-18 campaign, and are due to play a friendly against Ligue 1 club Saint-Etienne on Saturday.
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Van Dijk, though, will not travel with the team, having been excluded from selection contention and first-team training by new manager Pellegrino.
The 25-year-old Netherlands international has been linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, who apologised in June “for any misunderstanding” after being accused of making an illegal approach for the player.
“The club told me they will not sell Virgil,” Pellegrino said last week.
“Now he is not involved with the team because psychologically he is not 100 per cent.
“The boy said that he is not available to play because he wants to leave.
“I had to say, ‘If you don’t want to be involved because you don’t feel okay then you have to train alone until this period of time is over’.”
Unsettled Virgil van Dijk left out of Southampton's pre-season trip to France and training alone
VIRGIL VAN DIJK has been left out of Southampton’s squad for a pre-season training camp in France after manager Mauricio Pellegrino revealed the unsettled centre-back is training alone.
The Saints are heading to Evian-les-Bains to continue their preparations for the 2017-18 campaign, and are due to play a friendly against Ligue 1 club Saint-Etienne on Saturday.
Van Dijk, though, will not travel with the team, having been excluded from selection contention and first-team training by new manager Pellegrino.
The 25-year-old Netherlands international has been linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, who apologised in June “for any misunderstanding” after being accused of making an illegal approach for the player.
“The club told me they will not sell Virgil,” Pellegrino said last week.
“Now he is not involved with the team because psychologically he is not 100 per cent.
“The boy said that he is not available to play because he wants to leave.
“I had to say, ‘If you don’t want to be involved because you don’t feel okay then you have to train alone until this period of time is over’.”
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