Wayne Rooney has reportedly fired back at Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk after being blasted for “lazy” criticism.
After Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa over the weekend, Van Dijk responded to doubts about his and Mohamed Salah’s leadership this season by taking a jab at the Manchester United legend.
In the midst of the Reds’ six-game losing streak, which included four straight Premier League losses prior to the Villa match, Rooney, who is now a pundit, expressed worries about the duo’s body language.
According to The Evening Standard, Rooney claims that he still respects the Liverpool defender despite Van Dijk’s accusations of “lazy” criticism.
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Rooney Maintains Van Dijk Is Not Having A Good Season
However, the former Man United and Everton player is sticking to his assertion that, based on his past performance, the Dutchman is not having a strong season.
“Van Dijk, similar to Mo Salah, over the last five years, he’s been one of if not the best defender in the world, and last year it was hard to say anything bad because he was that good,” Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
“I’m sure he’d come out and say he probably hasn’t been as best this season if he’s honest with himself, and as captain, your job if things aren’t going right is to speak to your teammates, call meetings with your teammates.
“And that’s really what I was saying as a captain, as a leader, I’m sure he will have been doing that.
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