Virgil van Dijk agreement reached as Liverpool captain accused of ‘complacency’ after Man Utd defeat
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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballLiverpool FCWayne Rooney has joined Gary Neville and Roy Keane in blaming Virgil van Dijk for the opening goal Liverpool conceded in their defeat to Manchester UnitedWayne Rooney has accused Virgil van Dijk of complacency after pointing the finger at the Liverpool captain for Manchester United’s opener in their 2-1 victory at Anfield on Sunday. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring for the Red Devils in controversial circumstances after just two minutes as he raced clear to finish past Giorgi Mamardashvili.The Cameroon international’s opener came after he got in behind Virgil van Dijk, who appeared to expect play to be stopped after Alexis Mac Allister suffered a head injury following a collision with the Dutchman.Cody Gakpo would later equalise for the Reds, only for Harry Maguire to head home a late winner for United and inflict a fourth-successive defeat on Liverpool.READ MORE: Liverpool stars come out fighting after Man Utd defeat as Milos Kerkez speaks outA number of pundits, including Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane, blamed Van Dijk for his role in United’s opener when appearing on Sky Sports on Sunday.Fellow former Reds Devils star Wayne Rooney has now joined his old team-mates in holding the 34-year-old responsible as he hit out at the Dutchman for ‘switching off’.And the former England international would insist it is not the first time the Liverpool captain has been guilty of doing so this season either.“I thought Van Dijk, for the first goal, he was really at fault,” Rooney said on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
“It was similar to the goal against Chelsea.“He’s gone for the initial header, I think he’s gone into the back of Mac Allister, and then he didn’t switch on quickly enough and Mbeumo, he’s five yards ahead of him, Mbeumo.“He’s switched off and Mbeumo’s gone in behind him. He just ran forward in a straight line and Van Dijk didn’t, he switched off.
We’ve seen that a lot from him this season.“I don’t know if it’s a bit of complacency after winning the Premier League title last season, but it’s not something you really associate with Van Dijk.“It’s a few times now this season so it’s a bit of a concern for Liverpool.”Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL packageThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreSky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.