Wayne Rooney has doubled down on his criticism of Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk despite conceding his previous claim that the defender had “downed tools” was “a bit unfair”.
Speaking on the latest edition of The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said he remained convinced that Van Dijk’s displays this season are a shadow of the form that saw him help sweep Liverpool to the Premier League title.
Rooney made his initial comments in October, questioning Van Dijk’s commitment after signing a new contract. The Dutchman described Rooney’s comments as “lazy” before the pair addressed the situation face-to-face on Amazon Prime’s coverage of Liverpool’s Champions League win over Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Wayne Rooney maintains that Virgil van Dijk needs to improve his form
Wayne Rooney maintains that Virgil van Dijk needs to improve his form(John Walton/PA)
Van Dijk said on the live broadcast: “I think the comment that I signed my new deal and then it was like, ‘that is it’ and I let it slide, I think that was a bit… but that’s my personal opinion and we move on.”
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And former Manchester United and England captain Rooney said on his latest show: “Maybe I was a bit unfair with that comment. Maybe I was a bit unfair because I don’t know him that well as a person.
“From a performance point of view I think I was speaking what I felt and what I was seeing and I felt I was right.
“Van Dijk will judge himself by them (high standards). When he reflects on his performances this season he’d be the first to say they haven’t been at the standard he’s set.”