Virgil van Dijk: I’m Not a ‘Spoilt Brat’

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk claims his interview with Dutch media were twisted by the English media.

Earlier in the week, heavily-rumoured Liverpool transfer target van Dijk was quoted that he had no regrets over angling for a summer move to Merseyside and would look to move in the January transfer window.

At the time, van Dijk reportedly said: “I have no regrets. Of course, I wanted to go one step up, but eventually Southampton did not want to let me go, 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.”

In light of the negative backlash he has received, van Dijk told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that those words were taken out of context [H/T ReadSouthampton].

“I once felt at Celtic that my words were completely twisted. It’s annoying if something is misinterpreted, because people get a wrong picture of you.

“I came across as a spoilt brat who was only busy looking at options to make a transfer in winter, but I’m not. It was not my words and I would never say that.

“My focus is entirely on Southampton, I work hard on training and competitions and have respect for the club after what happened last summer.”

Whether van Dijk’s quote was taken out of context, poorly translated, or neither, it’s pretty safe to say the towering Dutch defender is a spoilt brat.

Van Dijk returned to the Saints first team as a starter in their 2-1 away defeat at Stoke City last week. Conceding a penalty and losing Peter Crouch for Stoke’s late winner, it wasn’t the greatest of comebacks we’ve seen a Southampton player make.

The centre-half is presently on international duty representing the Netherland as they make a seemingly unlikely last-ditch attempt at qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.