Thursday 8 February 2018 17:32, UK
Virgil van Dijk is prepared for a hostile reception when he returns to former club Southampton with Liverpool this weekend.
The Dutchman became the world's most expensive defender in January after the Reds paid a fee in the region of £75m for his services.
Van Dijk had put in a transfer request last summer in hope of engineering a move to Merseyside, while tension was caused between the two clubs leading Liverpool to issue a public apology for their pursuit of the player.
After finally sealing his move, Van Dijk is ready for a frosty reception at St Mary's during the Super Sunday showdown, live on Sky Sports.
"Maybe they can boo the whole game. You can't do anything about it," Van Dijk said.
"Obviously it'll be nice to see the players and the friends I have there but, for me, it is going to be about one thing only and that is to win the game."
The 26-year-old is still adapting to life on Merseyside and has experienced the highs of scoring a derby goal on his debut with the lows of giving away a last-minute penalty against Tottenham.
"With the football we play, the pressing, the different options with players, it is totally different here," Van Dijk added. "So you need time to get used to everything but I am working on it every day together with the team.
"The most important thing is what happens at Melwood and what happens here with the people who care about the team... other people around, fans of other clubs, pundits, they can have their opinions, but it doesn't really bother me.
"I am talking with the manager and everyone who can help me out. I want to improve and get the maximum out of myself and that is what I am going to do."
Liverpool are third in the Premier League with 51 points from 26 games while Southampton sit 15th on 26 points.
