Van Dijk hopeful of January move

Southampton defender handed in a transfer request but club failed to sell him in the summer

BENGALURU: Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk insists he has "no regrets" over his failed transfer request and is still open to a potential move from St Mary's in January.

Van Dijk was left out of Southampton's first-team squad by manager Mauricio Pellegrino after the Dutch international handed in a transfer request following interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the transfer window.

The 26-year-old centre back returned to action, for the first time since January, against Palace last month but he has again cast doubt over his long-term future at the club.

"Well, a lot happened," Van Dijk told Fox Sports. "Learned a lot, heard a lot, saw a lot and all that; got some life experience. I'm not sorry for anything. Of course, I wanted to make a step up, but Southampton did not want me to sell me, but you're a professional, so now I'll give everything to the club. Halfway through the season, maybe we can see what's possible."

Van Dijk is currently with the Netherlands squad, who are in a tough qualification battle for a spot in the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. The Netherlands are third in Group A, three points behind second-placed Sweden and four behind group leaders France ahead of their matches against Belarus and the Swedes. The group winners automatically qualify for the finals, with the second-placed teams entering playoffs.