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Three months out for Van Dijk
Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk will miss the EFL Cup final after being ruled out for between two and three months.
The 25-year-old has not played for the Saints since picking up the injury during the 3-0 win over Leicester on January 22 and manager Claude Puel has confirmed that he will not be available until April at the earliest.
"He will not be available for many weeks, two or three months. It's an important problem and difficult for us. He is important for the group and the fans with his quality and leadership," he told reporters.
"It's a blow but we will find a solution. For the semi-final second leg against Liverpool we got a fantastic result without him and we will continue with other possibilities. Ryan Bertrand can play in this position, and we will see with young players like Jack Stephens. We have possibilities."
Southampton tried to find a replacement for the Dutchman before Tuesday's transfer deadline but they were unsuccessful in their attempts to bring in cover.
"We studied a lot of solutions and possibilities but we could not find a good opportunity in January. We worked hard but without success so we continue with this squad to find a solution," Puel added.
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