Akin Ayomide
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has dismissed Wayne Rooney’s suggestion that the Reds’ recent dip in form is down to poor leadership, describing the criticism as “lazy.”
After winning the Premier League title last season in Arne Slot’s debut campaign, Liverpool began the 2025–26 season with five straight victories.
However, a run of four consecutive league defeats, the latest against Brentford, has seen them fall behind in the title race.
England and Manchester United forward Rooney said Van Dijk and team-mate Mohamed Salah had not “really led that team this season”.
“I didn’t hear him last year,” Van Dijk said, after Liverpool arrested their slide with a win against Aston Villa on Saturday.
“It doesn’t hurt me. 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, I would say, a bit of a lazy criticism.
“It’s easy to blame the other players but he knows we do it together, trying to help each and every one of us to try to get out of this. Last year, when things went well, you didn’t hear that at all. It is what it is.
“[Pundits] have to do that job. He has an opinion and we have to deal with it. There’s no hard feelings. I don’t take it personally.”
“I’ve heard the reports as well about [Slot] being under pressure, but I don’t think we play at a club that makes rash decisions.
“We all felt that we could work our way out of this. It’s not a guarantee, but we can do it together. As long as we believe, stay humble and keep working, we can do it, and we all have that feeling,” Van Dijk added.
Rooney questioned the leadership of Liverpool’s senior stars, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, saying their body language during the club’s recent poor run is a “big concern.”