Former Southampton boss Lawrie McMenemy supports their tough stand over wantaway defender Virgil van Dijk.

However, McMenemy can see football chief Les Reed agreeing to sell the Dutchman to Liverpool.

He wrote for the Daily Echo: "Who can say what will happen? The season is coming on us very soon. If he is going to stay here he needs to be playing as quickly as possible and the manager needs to know where he stands with team selection with only a couple of games left before the big ones start.

"The dressing room needs to be positive and as happy as possible, or will it be that van Dijk remains determined to leave?

"I for one would probably say if the choice is between him sitting at the back of the stand for the next five seasons or to say publicly we have done everything we could, and the player and his agent are not changing, it's a phone call to Liverpool and asking for £70m, or whatever price Les thinks, and tell them to take it or leave it.

"Then the supporters will realise the club have done everything possible to keep him.

"You could then ask Jack Stephens to carry on where he left off and the fans would be ready to boo a certain individual when the Liverpool fixture comes up."