We Must Move On From Van Dijk – Steven Davis

Steven Davis has warned Southampton use their FA Cup victory at Fulham to revive a season undermined by supporter unrest and Virgil van Dijk’s departure for Liverpool.

“Once the window closed I thought Van Dijk got his head down and worked hard; people forgot he was out for six months prior to that as well,” the 33-year-old said. “He’s obviously got his move: Now it’s important we move on. He was a good player for us, but we’ve got other players that now need to step up.

“We’re not in a good position: not happy with the first half of the season and the results. We should be doing better but we need to go and show that week in, week out on the pitch so hopefully this [victory at Fulham] is the first step in the right direction.”

Asked of the chanting aimed at Pellegrino, he responded: “It’s important that we all stick together. We’re not in a position that any of us want to be in: fans, players and staff alike.

“Stuff like that doesn’t really help. We need the fans more than ever at this point in time. Whenever you’re struggling. To be fair, they were in good voice, and came [to Craven Cottage] in good numbers.

“We were obviously gutted last year not to win the [EFL Cup] final, having put in a good performance against Manchester United, but if we can have a little cup run alongside picking up our league form it’d be a boost for everybody.”