Virgil van Dijk has described Wayne Rooney's criticism of him and Mohamed Salah as "lazy" and hit out at what he called "ridiculous takes" during Liverpool's recent poor run.
Rooney had said on his BBC podcast that the Liverpool captain and Salah had shown a lack of leadership and that their body language had been poor as the team lost six times in seven games between late September and late October, including defeats at home to Manchester United and away to Crystal Palace.
Van Dijk, responding to the former Manchester United and England striker, said the comment did not hurt him and that Rooney, a "legend" of the game, should know the team works together. He acknowledged that outside noise can reach his teammates and affect them.
The 34-year-old said Liverpool had to stick together and focus on winning games. He noted that last year, when results were good, there was no such criticism, but now the team is questioned when things go wrong.
Liverpool ended their bad run with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, with Salah scoring his 250th goal for the club. Van Dijk said he feels responsibility as captain and tries to help his teammates, but accepts that he and the manager will always be questioned during difficult moments.
