Virgil van Dijk hits back at Wayne Rooney after Liverpool captain was branded ‘lazy’
Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk has insisted that the team doesn’t pay attention to external criticism. This comes after ex-Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney described Van Dijk’s movements leading up to Paris Saint-Germain’s goal in their Champions League defeat on Tuesday as “lazy”.
Despite being exceptional this season for the Reds, and potentially in line for individual honours if not for Mohamed Salah’s scoring spree, Van Dijk is not immune to criticism following Tuesday’s loss to PSG on penalties. Responding to Rooney’s comments, Van Dijk said: “Someone told me about this. I think at that particular moment I’m helping [Andy] Robertson, telling him to clear the outside, I take the inside.
“I’m even explaining now what I thought at that moment but if he thought it was lazy then he gave his opinion, that’s it. Did you think it was lazy?”
Despite the noise, Van Dijk’s performances this season have been anything but lazy, and the Liverpool players are focusing on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final and maintaining their 15-point lead in the Premier League title race.
He added: “But listen, I think I said it to someone as well, there were so many challenges that were years ago for those players and obviously it’s a challenge for the players nowadays that you have to deal with opinions here and there and it gets blown up all the time.
“But I think, looking at what I see in the dressing room, I think the boys are doing well in terms of keeping their heads down and focusing on the task ahead. That’s the most important.
“Even in difficult times, you know, because no-one’s going smooth sailing, especially if you’re in the Premier League. If we get the reward for it at the end of the season then I’m sure Liverpool is going to be bouncing,” said Van Dijk.
The Dutch defender also hinted that there might be news about his future before the season ends, but he remains uncertain about signing a new contract with the club.
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