Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has hit back at Wayne Rooney’s comments regarding a lack of leadership, branding the Manchester United legend’s analysis as “lazy criticism” following a much-needed win over Aston Villa.
And former United, Everton and England striker Rooney was critical of Van Dijk at the top of the week on his BBC podcast as he said: “Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.”
Van Dijk offered a measured reply following Saturday’s win over Villa, saying it is easy to lay the blame at the door of the team’s most experienced operators.
“I didn’t hear him last year,” Van Dijk said. “No, it doesn’t hurt me to be honest. Just to come back to this particular player, obviously a legend, a big player of the game who inspired so many, I can say only positive things, but I feel that comment is just I would say it’s a bit of a lazy criticism.
“That’s my personal opinion. It’s easy to blame the older players but he knows obviously as well as everyone else we do it together trying to help each and every one of us to try to get out of this and, like I said as well, last year when things go well you don’t hear that at all. It is what it is.