VIRGIL VAN DIJK can achieve anything he wants in the game, insists Southampton team-mate Dusan Tadic.
The Dutchman just needs to stay calm during his recovery from injury and wait for the offers from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City to drop.
Van Dijk, as his Instagram post shows, is working hard to regain full fitness. He was going very strong in the Premier League before a nasty knee problem sustained against Leicester City on January 22 stopped him in his tracks.
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It seems almost inevitable that he is heading for a £50million summer transfer.
Tadic played with Van Dijk at Groningen as well as Southampton and says he is a rare specimen.
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Tadic told Goal: “He is a very good player. I have known him for a long time. We played for Groningen together and he was coming from the youth system there. I know him from that time, now he has improved a lot.
“Back then, you could see that he would become a very good player and we have missed him a lot [in the past few months]. I hope he can recover quickly and that he will keep playing how he was playing.
“I am not surprised [that big teams want Van Dijk].There are not so many choices [for top defenders]. He is a very good player and I hope he will recover well and keep playing well for Southampton.
“I think he is a clever boy and that he needs to be calm and work on recovering and then everything will come into place. You need to be professional and then everything that he wishes will happen.”
Tadic, meanwhile, is fit and seemingly on top of his game. The Saints playmaker scored and assisted twice in Serbia’s 3-1 win over Georgia during the international break.
Southampton have seen many star players leave over recent years. Of all those who have gone, Tadic misses Graziano Pelle the most.
IPelle joined Chinese club Shandong Luneng for £12 million deal andTadic thinks that criticism of the Italian striker for making the lucrative move was harsh.
He added: “I miss him a lot. He was an important player on the pitch and we are very close.
“I just wish him the best because he is a very good guy. Yes, I think I understand him, he had a fantastic offer and he wanted to finish and take that situation.
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“Everyone needs to assess their situation and that’s it. Everyone makes a move for a reason.
“I think football in China will improve, it is a big project but they are going to need to buy a lot more players to catch up with Europe.”