Southampton centre-back and former Celtic star Virgil van Dijk has revealed that he isn’t sure if his move to St. Mary’s paved his way to the Netherlands national team, adding he is eager to fight for a place to make his way into the starting eleven.
The defender spent two seasons with reigning Scottish champions Celtic from 2013 until 2015, and made a move to St. Mary’s earlier this summer. He has gone on to quickly settle in the Premier League and has made five appearances so far for Ronald Koeman’s side.
The 24-year-old’s displays have earned him a spot in Danny Blind’s Dutch national team for their upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic.
Van Dijk, who enjoyed two stellar seasons with Celtic, but has now earned his first call-up for the Oranje, has said that he isn’t sure if his move to St. Mary’s paved the way for his inclusion in the national team.
"I do not know if my transfer to Southampton played a major role”, he told NUsport.
relatedNewsStory
“But I am now playing at a higher level and therefore I will be looked at [for selection in the national team]."
He further added that he is happy to just make the squad and will look to force his way into the starting eleven.
“I'm glad that at least I'm there and will look to fight for a place in the team and hopefully get some playing time.”
