Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk couldn’t help but criticize pundit Wayne Rooney a bit after his recent comments criticizing the Dutchman’s performance.
Van Dijk has been a star player for Liverpool for many years, but he is one of the key players who has been struggling in recent times.
It hasn’t been the best start to the season for the Reds, who previously had a dismal record of seven games and six losses, but they have bounced back a bit with two straight wins.
Rooney recently singled out Van Dijk as a target of criticism on a BBC podcast, and the pair were featured on Amazon Prime Video, which broadcast last night’s match.
What did Virgil van Dijk say to Wayne Rooney?
After last night’s 1-0 Champions League win against Real Madrid, Van Dijk said some of the criticism he received had gone too far.
The Dutch international was standing right next to Rooney at the time, and the pundit used the opportunity to defend Rooney’s comments.
Van Dijk also refused to back down, saying it was his personal opinion that Rooney’s comments went too far, so watch the somewhat awkward exchange below…
“Of course, as a Liverpool player, if you lose four or five games in a row, that’s a valid criticism. In that sense it’s completely normal,” Van Dijk said.
“But at that point, I think sometimes it’s too much, but it’s because we live in a world where there are so many platforms and so many people can have a voice, and it’s going to be picked up and it’s going to be big.
“I think it’s good that former players who played at the highest level and dealt with difficult moments will put a lot of things into perspective.”
Wayne Rooney’s reaction to Van Dijk
Rooney responded: “I think it was fair to say that when you win the Premier League and then you lose three or four games in a row, that’s something you wouldn’t expect from Liverpool over the last few years.”
“Virgil is the captain so I think it’s his chance to lead the players and that’s what I was saying. That happens in football and I think the reaction from Virgil and the team has been great.”
Finally, Van Dijk added: “If I had watched the game, I definitely would have taken responsibility. I think there was a bit of a comment that I signed a new contract and they were like, ‘That’s it’ and just let it go… But that’s my personal opinion and we move on.”
Van Dijk will no doubt be delighted that he silenced his critics last night with a strong performance that helped LFC secure a very impressive and important victory against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
