Virgil van Dijk has backed Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez to spearhead a surge up the Premier League after his two-goals in the 3-1 success away to local rivals Bournemouth.

"I'm very pleased for Jay and I told him it was well deserved," said Van Dijk of Rodriguez's brace at Dean Court.

"He's a great guy, so it's great to see him right up there again now and hopefully he can keep it going after Christmas."

Van Dijk revealed the 27 year old hard-working striker was even among the side's top physical performers in their 1-0 league win over Middlesbrough at St Mary's on December 11.

"He has worked so hard, and it was the same in the game against Middlesbrough," Van Dijk told Southampton's official club website.

"I saw the numbers after that game and he had a lot of high-speed running."