Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said Wayne Rooney’s claim that a lack of leadership is behind the team’s recent poor form is “lazy criticism”.
The comments come after Liverpool ended a four-match Premier League losing streak with a win against Aston Villa on Saturday. The Reds, who won the league title last season in manager Arne Slot’s first campaign in charge, began the 2025–26 season with five straight victories but have since fallen off the pace.
Following last week’s defeat to Brentford, former England and Manchester United forward Rooney said Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah had not “really led that team this season”.
Speaking after the Villa match, Van Dijk dismissed Rooney’s remarks. “I didn’t hear him last year,” the defender said. “It doesn’t hurt me. Just to come back to this particular player, obviously a legend, a big player of the game who inspired so many, I can say only positive things but I feel that comment is just I would say it’s a bit of a lazy criticism.
“It’s easy to blame the other players but he knows we do it together, trying to help each and every one of us to try to get out of this. Last year when things go well you don’t hear that at all. It is what it is.
“[Pundits] have to do that job. He has an opinion and we have to deal with it. There’s no hard feelings. I don’t take it personally.”
Liverpool sit third in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, ahead of two crucial fixtures this week. Slot’s side host Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before visiting Manchester City in the league on Sunday.
Addressing reports that Slot could be under pressure, Van Dijk said he believed the club would remain patient. “I’ve heard the reports as well about [Slot] being under pressure, but I don’t think we play at a club that makes rash decisions,” he said.
“We all felt that we can work our way out of this. It’s not a guarantee, but we can do it together. As long as we believe, stay humble and keep working, we can do it, and we all have that feeling.”
