Saints sign Vestergaard

LONDON: Danish central defender Jannik Vestergaard on Friday signed for Southampton where he will try and meet the huge challenge of filling the boots of Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence.

The 25-year-old — who was in the Denmark World Cup squad but didn’t figure in any of their four matches — signed a four year deal for an undisclosed fee from German side Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Vestergaard is the fourth signing by Saints boss Mark Hughes in the close season and will it is hoped become as assured a figure as van Dijk was before he secured a record transfer for a defender — A£75 million (84.6m euros, $98m) — to Liverpool last January. “I knew of the interest before the World Cup and the club has followed me for quite some time and done a lot of scouting, which is also a good sign for me that they know my strengths and weaknesses,” he said on Southampton’s website. “I feel I’m at a really good place to develop.” Vestergaard, who has spent his professional career in Germany joining Hoffenheim aged 17, admitted the extra press attention will take getting used to. “Every Danish guy loves to see himself in the Premier League — it is the biggest league in the world and a very attractive place to play,” he said.