Puel unsure if Van Dijk will return from ankle injury this season

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk may be out longer than expected and could miss the rest of the 2016-17 Premier League season with an ankle injury, according to manager Claude Puel.

The news runs contrary to an initial assessment that Van Dijk, 25, would be out for up to three months after being ruled out in January. That would have him pegged for an early April return, but Puel is now expecting to be without his defensive stalwart for a while longer.

"It's a long injury. We will see if he comes back before the end of the season," Puel said at his press conference Thursday, ahead of an upcoming match against Bournemouth, as quoted by the Guardian.

Related: Southampton's Gabbiadini to miss Bournemouth clash with groin problem

The Dutch defender has been linked with a move to Chelsea upon his recovery, with Antonio Conte looking for defensive reinforcements in the summer window. With that in mind, it's possible that Van Dijk has played his last game for Southampton with a victory over Leicester City on Jan. 22

However, Southampton isn't expected to consider offers of less than £50 million, a figure that would mark Van Dijk with the highest Premier League fee ever paid for a central defender.