Virgil van Dijk fires back at Wayne Rooney after criticism from Man Utd legend

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Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. ‘This is a time where the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly,’ he said on The Wayne Rooney Show before Liverpool’s win over Villa. ‘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 is not on board with Rooney’s views (Picture: Getty Images) ‘I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them.

They are the top two players in that team and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else. ‘I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me.’ That criticism was put to Van Dijk after the victory at Anfield on Saturday and he felt it was a poor conclusion to draw by Rooney. Mohamed Salah scored Liverpool’s opener before Ryan Gravenberch netted the second (Picture: Getty Images) ‘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 a bit of a lazy criticism. ‘It’s easy to blame the older players but he knows as well as everyone else that we do it together and try to help each other to get out of this.

I try to put them in front of me and want to make them perform as in the best possible shape and then when things don’t go well then that’s the world we live in and people question loads of stuff, especially when you lose.’ ‘I think everyone who was here felt the importance.’ Slot told the BBC of a crucial win for his side: ‘The margins are small every single game. Our second goal was a bit of luck, something which we haven’t had in the last few weeks. ‘The good thing about being 1-0 or 2-0 up is that you can control the game a bit better with more possession, but if you are trailing then you have to chase the game, take risks and risk being counter-attacked. ‘I think everyone who was here felt the importance of this game – the players and the fans as well.