“VIRGIL VAN DIJK has hit back at Wayne Rooney and insists the Liverpool dressing room doesn’t listen to outside noise. It comes after Rooney labelled Van Dijk’s movements in the lead up to PSG’s goal in their Champions League defeat on Tuesday as “lazy”. 3 Virgil van Dijk has broken his silence after Wayne Rooney called”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
It comes after Rooney labelled Van Dijk’s movements in the lead up to PSG’s goal in their Champions League defeat on Tuesday as “lazy”.
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Virgil van Dijk has broken his silence after Wayne Rooney called Liverpool star ‘lazy
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Rooney called out Van Dijk for failing to track Ousmane Dembele’s run for PSG’s goal at AnfieldLiverpool were beaten 4-1 on penalties by the reigning French champions at Anfield to exit Europe at the last-16 stage.
Arne Slot’s side had held a 1-0 lead from the first leg, but PSG levelled the tie in the 12th minute of the second leg through Ousmane Dembele.
Dembele scored from close range following a rapid PSG attack, with the forward having initially found Bradley Barcola on the right wing.
Barcola’s cross led to confusion between Alisson and Ibrahima Konate and the Liverpool defender deflected the ball into Dembele’s path to finish.
Despite the mix-up between Alisson and Konate, former Manchester United star Rooney called Van Dijk “lazy” in tracking Dembele’s initial run from the half-way line.
Van Dijk has since said his focus on trophies and not on Rooney.
The Dutchman responded: “Someone told me about this. I think at that particular moment I’m helping [Andy] Robertson, telling him to clear the outside, I take the inside.
“I’m even explaining now what I thought at that moment but if he thought it was lazy then he gave his opinion, that’s it. Did you think it was lazy?
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“I think I said it to someone as well, there were so many challenges for those players years ago and obviously it’s a challenge for the players nowadays that you have to deal with opinions here and there and it gets blown up all the time.
“But looking at what I see in the dressing room, I think the boys are doing well in terms of keeping their heads down and focusing on the task ahead. That’s the most important thing I want to see.
“If we get the reward for it at the end of the season then I’m sure Liverpool is going to be bouncing.”
The Liverpool skipper also cleared up his row with PSG chiefs in the corridor at Anfield after full-time.
Rooney had told Amazon Prime: “This goal from Liverpool’s perspective is wrong in so many ways.
“They are trying to press the ball and Van Dijk gets lazy.
“If you keep your eye on Van Dijk, he’s walking and leaves a massive gap to Dembele.
“All he has to do is come across and cover Dembele because there is no other pass for Paris to get out and he doesn’t.
“Dembele gets it and he’s got a lot of space, gets the ball out wide and then Konate doesn’t switch on and then he reacts.”
Van Dijk is out of contract in the summer and fans could well be witnessing the end of his Anfield career.
The latest reports claimed at the 33-year-old is mulling over a mega-money approach from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
Liverpool are focusing on the business end of the season, including Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle at Wembley.
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Van Dijk’s stats in the Champions League this season