da dobrowin：
da bet7： Southampton manager Claude Puel confirmed on Thursday that star defender Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out for two to three months meaning the season will be all but over when he’s able to return.
The defender suffered an ankle injury during the Saints’ Premier League clash with Leicester two weeks ago but the full extent of his absence was unclear until Puel confirmed the timeframe.
Van Dijk has been a force of nature for Southampton and he leaves a massive hole in the Southampton defence that Puel will struggle to fill. The Frenchman was unable to bring in any defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window and also lost long time defender Jose Fonte to West Ham United.
Just how big a loss will Van Dijk be? Well these stats from Squawka show just how impressive the Dutchman has been this season.
He’s been a titan at the back for the Saints and they now turn to the likes of Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida to guide them through what could be a tumultuous time.
Fortunately for Puel his side are pretty much clear of relegation problems but ambitions to launch an assault on the top half of the table will likely fall short and there’s also the small matter of a League Cup Final to attend to.
Virgil van Dijk won’t be at Wembley to face Manchester United and that could play a massive part in deciding where the trophy ends up.
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