"Van Dijk, similar to Mo Salah, over the last five years, he's been one of if not the best defender in the world, and last year it was hard to say anything bad because he was that good, Rooney said on his BBC podcast. I'm sure he'd come out and say he probably hasn't been as best this season if he's honest with himself, and as captain, your job if things aren't going right is to speak to your teammates, call meetings with your teammates."
"And that's really what I was saying as a captain, as a leader, I'm sure he will have been doing that. I've got full respect for Virgil van Dijk, I think he's a fantastic player. My job now as a pundit is to give my opinions on what I feel. I'm sure if you ask him or you ask Arne Slot, he probably hasn't been as good as he has been over the last few years and that was my comment."
Liverpool suffered six defeats in seven games, including four consecutive Premier League losses before the Aston Villa match. Rooney raised concerns about players' body language during the poor run. Van Dijk labelled some criticism as "lazy," but Rooney insisted he retains full respect for the defender. Rooney stated that Van Dijk, who has been among the world's best defenders over the last five years, has not matched that standard this season. Rooney said a captain's duties include speaking to teammates and calling meetings, and that his role as a pundit is to offer his opinions on performances.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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