It’s been a over a month now since the 2015/16 season came to an end but Virgil van Dijk feels that it’s more than long enough to wait, as he’s desperate to get back into action.
The Southampton 2015/16 Players’ and Fans’ Player of the Season reported back to the Staplewood Campus with several other players such as Maya Yoshida and Dusan Tadic for their first training session since the break whilst others such as captain Jose Fonte and his teammate Cedric Soares continue on international duty with Portugal at Euro 2016.
Van Dijk was speaking on the clubs official YouTube channel and the defender was happy to have a holiday, but even happier to be back to work:
I had a great couple of weeks of holiday, and I’m ready to start again now.
You’re happy when you get the holiday, of course, but after a couple of days and weeks you already want to touch the ball again and start playing again.
Today’s the day we get started and get our fitness up to be ready for the season.
After joining Southampton late in last season’s summer transfer window – on deadline day to be precise – this is van Dijk’s first full pre-season with the club. 
The tests the players go through may not be the most exciting thing on their agenda but van Dijk knows the benefit of giving your all in them:
It’s part of the game. We can’t complain. We just do it, and we want to get fit. The best thing to get fit is to start working, playing and just go.
We’re going to train a lot, that’s what I’ve heard and the fitness level will go up when you train a lot. We’ve got two good training camps coming up as well. It’s going to be good and I’m ready for it.
Southampton’s pre-season friendlies include away trips to Dutch trio PEC Zwolle, FC Twente, FC Groningen and a home fixture to La Liga club Athletic Club.
