completed 21 of 36 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown a

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has hailed the impact of defender Virgil van Dijk since his arrival from Celtic last summer. Van Dijk moved to St Marys on Deadline Day last September for a fee in the region of £11.5m and has put in a number of impressive performances for the club so far this season.The Holland international was an ever-present in Southamptons run of seven straight Premier League clean sheets earlier this year and has helped his side record the joint-third best defensive record in the top-flight alongside Arsenal and Watford, and only behind Tottenham and Manchester United. And Koeman insists his fellow countryman is crucial to Southampton as they battle to qualify for Europe. Van Dijk has built up an impressive partnership with Jose Fonte He is strong, hes fast and hes important in the way we like to build-up [from the back], Koeman said on Monday Night Football.He is good at short passing, he has a good long pass and he has got a good partnership with Jose Fonte and last Saturday he was good in tandem with Ryan Bertrand. He is strong, hes fast and hes important in the way we like to build-up [from the back]. Koeman on Van Dijk He is also a good header of the ball, has a good shot and is a good free-kick taker. Hes a very good centre-back.Despite Van Dijks form this season, Koeman revealed he did have doubts about signing his fellow countryman from Celtic. Van Dijks Champions League experience convinced Koeman to sign him My only worry with Virgil was that we signed him from Celtic in the Scottish league, Koeman added. Its different from the Premier League.It makes it a little more tricky but he had experience of playing against Barcelona in the Champions League, so in the end there was no doubt about it.Meanwhile, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher echoed Koemans praise of Van Dijk, claiming Southamptons defensive record is evidence of the Dutchmans growing influence. Jamie Carragher thinks Van Dijk has been outstanding for Siants so far this season Carragher said: Obviously I look at centre-backs in the league and I think he has been fantastic. The defensive record shows that. When he first came in I thought he was more interested in playing on the ball but hes been outstanding defensively. Also See: David targets Europa return Saints appeal Mane red card Koeman v Benitez Carragher on Benitez NFL Jerseys From China . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. 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A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne.SURREY, B.C. -- The BC Lions expect to regain key linebacker Solomon Elimimian and veteran kicker Paul McCallum for Thursday nights home opener against the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. The Lions (0-1) started poorly against the Stampeders in their opening round clash in Calgary on Friday, and although they managed to outscore the hosts in the second half, they still lost 44-32. It was a frustrating game for Elimimian (ankle) to watch, and he admitted after Mondays practice that one point he "was about to throw a couple of chairs." "It was definitely tough," he said, before adding he was "expecting" to play in that game. "But that was last week and we have 17 more regular-season games to go." And that starts with a home date with the Argonauts (1-0), who fought back to overcome Hamilton 39-34 last week on the back of solid contributions from running back Chad Kackert (10 rushes for 112 yards and a touchdown) and wide receiver/kick returner Chad Owens. Elimimian is looking forward to the challenge of stopping that pair, along with QB Ricky Ray, who went 24-34 for 368 yards and four touchdowns against the Ti-Cats. "They have a great offence and a great offensive game," the 26-year-old said. "I just think the big thing for us is just doing what we do, and thats run to the ball and be physical and if we do that well be fine." Lions head coach Mike Benevides was looking forward to having Elimimian back at his disposal on defence as his team looks to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole. "The biggest thing that Solly brings to us is obviously that downhill mentality to defend the run," he said. "It gives us a little bit of synergy that we had in training camp and it just gives us another run stopper thats comfortable with `Biggie (LB Adam Bighill)." Besides Elimimian, the Lions should also be boosted by the return of 43-year-old McCallum, after Benevides watched his punter go through the motions Monday. "Paul did all the place kicking, he felt good, he did some punting and really showed some power," Benevides said. "So its gonna be on him because hes a pro and hes been around a long time. But I really liked what I saw from his place kicking. "He tells me he feels good, so Im gonna make sure that he is entirely confident that hes not feeling (the groin injury) anymore and well take a hard look at him." The news wasnt as promising for Lions star centre Angus Reid (lower back), with Benevides saying he will still be evaluated on a weekly basis.dddddddddddd. "Obviously, hes getting better all the time," the coach said of the 36-year-old. "The thing with him is its gonna be a week-to-week thing and for him its about loading it, meaning hes in the weight room doing squats, hes practising and then the true tell-tale will be how sore he is the next day or two days after." With the 13-year pro still sidelined, snapping duties will once again fall to second-year player Matt Norman, who is being groomed as Reids eventual replacement on the offensive line. The 25-year-old former guard struggled with the count in the loss to Calgary but said he had already put it behind him. "Ive looked at film, made some corrections and now Im focusing on Toronto," he said. Norman doesnt see Torontos visit as a tool for motivation, adding he maintains "the same level of intensity each week". "I dont go up or down depending on who were playing," he said. "I keep the same level of motivation and confidence for each game, to me its just another game." Despite his issues at centre, Norman had the full support of Lions QB Travis Lulay and Benevides as he makes the difficult transition. "Those types of things happen, they do happen, and Matt doesnt like it when they happen and its tough," said Lulay, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown against the Stampeders. "But its part of the process, you have to make mistakes to find out what you need to be better at so thats something hes obviously very conscious of. But Matts a pro, hell get those things ironed out and well get better there." Benevides said Normans errors were more glaring than others because of his job hiking the ball to Lulay on each possession. "You just have to grow with that a little bit, (but) when you look at the totality of the game, he played fine," he said. "Week to week hes gonna get better and you have to also give him a chance to go through some of these learning curves." NOTES: DE Julius Williams could make his first appearance in a Lions jersey on Thursday. Said Benevides: "He got some work on the weekend and were gonna take a hard look at that because if Julius can get in hell help us and that will give us a different type of rotation and a different type of player on the edge."aThe Lions added import LB Yaser Elqutub to their practice roster Monday. ' ' '