Virgil van Dijk was not at his best during Liverpool's 2-1 defeat against Manchester United
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in action against Manchester United
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in action against Manchester United
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Roy Keane has delivered a scathing assessment on Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk's performance against Manchester United on Sunday.
Arne Slot's side slumped to a fourth successive defeat, as they were beaten 2-1 at home by a rejuvenated United. Harry Maguire scored a late winner for Ruben Amorim's side after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo's first-half opener.
Speaking post-match, ex-United midfielder Keane highlighted Van Dijk's performance and slammed the Netherlands international, claiming he should take more control for his side's recent blip in form.
Van Dijk was caught out in the build up to Mbeumo's opener and struggled throughout the game, with Ibrahima Konate performing the best out of Liverpool's two central defenders.
Keane told Sky Sports: "When you're a centre half and you're a big player, last year we were on about who was going to stay and he signed a big contract, then you're giving up loads of goals. I'd be looking at him and asking 'what are you doing'?
"Particularly as a big leader of the team. A couple of years ago we talked about United parking the bus here and we were critical. Now they've scored two today and two last year and you're the centre half.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 19: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on October 19, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League match against Manchester United at Anfield
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"Always start with the man in the mirror. Van Dijk, if you're the centre half and your team are all of a sudden giving up loads of goals, and you've got new people coming to your club, you've got to have a good look at yourself and think 'am I really helping people?'"
Van Dijk, meanwhile, assessed Liverpool's latest defeat in his post-match interview and admitted his side didn't take their opportunities and were "far too rushed" in front of goal.
"I think we conceded a very sloppy second goal. We worked so hard to get back into the game and we created great opportunities to score the winner but if you concede a second goal like that, that is the disappointing part.
"If you look at the game as a whole, we were far too rushed. I think they were very patient they didn't press us high but they didn't let us on the ball. We still created many opportunities to score but the reality is that we lost," he said.
Defeat for the Reds means they remain fourth in the Premier League table on 15 points from their opening eight fixtures. Next up is a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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