SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: An injured Virgil van Dijk of Southampton leaves the ptich during the Premier League match between Southampton and Leicester City at St Mary's Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Southampton are set to lose center-back Virgil van Dijk for an extended period of time.

It’s good news and bad news for Southampton when it comes to Virgil van Dijk. The good news is the Saints won’t be hearing their prize asset linked with any other Premier League clubs for a while.

And that’s because the bad news is that the Dutch defender is set for around three months on the sidelines injured, according to The Sun. Van Dijk picked up an ankle injury during Southampton’s win over Leicester City last weekend.

The Saints are currently looking forward to an EFL Cup date with Liverpool at Anfield – a game that van Dijk had already been ruled out of. But any hopes that the center-back would be able to return soon after have now been dashed.

Van Dijk has been immense for Southampton since arriving from Celtic 18 months ago. So good that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City have been linked with making a move to sign the 25-year-old either this month or in the summer.

The summer will likely see the same speculation flare up once again, but at least January will be quiet on that front now. The problem for Southampton is that the team are left light on center-backs, with Jose Fonte having left the club to join West Ham.

Maya Yoshida is the only proven center-back at the club that is currently fit. An unproven Florin Gardos or a youngster like Jack Stephens may now be thrown into a Premier League team that has lost four of their last five league games.

Not to mention, Saints are also one of the lowest scorers in the division – which piles even more pressure on the backline. Overall, Yoshida has performed well this season. Better than expected, it’s safe to say. In past seasons, at the highest level, Yoshida has failed to truly convince.

But his year has seen, for whatever reason, a significant step up in level by the 28-year-old. But now seeing Yoshida and, potentially, either Gardos or Stephens as the most likely pairing for the first team must be a nervous proposition for Southampton fans.

Claude Puel may have been thinking about his attack this January, given the team’s struggles at that end of the field. But now, it’s time to take a look at the market for a central defender. Despite Southampton sitting in 11th position at present, the Premier League can quickly change.

The injury to van Dijk, on the back of Fonte’s exit, means Southampton need to find some cover at center-back – and fast.